Análise cienciométrica das técnicas moleculares aplicadas ao diagnóstico da Malária

Abstract

Malaria is an acute infectious disease caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium spp., transmitted by the bite of the Anopheles mosquito. Prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions, malaria is one of the leading causes of mortality in developing countries. Global efforts have been directed towards its combat, control, and eradication, including the development of new prevention tools, vaccines, and sensitive, specific molecular tests for its detection. Microscopy is the standard test, but other techniques such as molecular ones have been widely tested, yielding significantly positive results in detecting and differentiating Plasmodium spp. species, even in situations of low parasitemia. Therefore, the main objective of this work is to provide a global overview of the state-of-the-art molecular techniques applied to malaria diagnosis. For this purpose, a literature review was exclusively conducted in the Web of Science (WoS) / Core Collection. After data refinement, the data were exported to Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny and CiteSpace programs for scientometric trend research, through visualization network analysis and studies related to molecular techniques applied to malaria diagnosis. The results demonstrate that the volume of publications and citations on the topic is extensive, but they are limited in the identification, diagnosis, and development of molecular tests for only two of the seven species reported to affect humans.