Figure 1

Effect of storage conditions on appearance of P. falciparum rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). Following their use in malaria diagnosis, immunophoretic RDTs for P. falciparum histidine rich protein-2 (HRP-2) were dried and stored with desiccant (A, B, C), dried and stored without desiccant (D, E, F) or stored with wetted tissue paper (G, H, I) at 4°C (A, D, G), or ambient temperature in a room which was either air-conditioned (B, E, H) or not (C, F, I) for 70 days and photographed. RDT test-strips were darker coloured after storage at lower humidity, while temperature had no appreciable effect on the appearance of RDTs. RDTs shown were for subject Afr4 and are representative of RDTs from all subjects.