Objective: To improve the automatically microscopic scanning system based on the oil-lens and apply it in reading of malaria blood smears.
Methods: The software of the system was modified and optimized. A total of 115 blood films from Tengchong City of Yunnan Province were examined by the automatically systematic method or read by blood smear examination staff of Tengchong City and the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were determined and compared between the two methods.
Results: The scanning of the system was speedier and the actual operation was more simple and convenient. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the system were better than those of the professional staff. There was a significant difference of accuracy between the two methods (P = 0.002) and there was a significant difference of comprehensive sensitivity and specificity between the two methods (P < 0.01). Moreover, the system had the function of automatically saving scanning pictures which could be read again by everyone through the Internet.
Conclusions: The fully automatically microscopic scanning system based on the oil-lens has many functions and the operation is simple. It can improve the speed, accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of malaria blood smears and those indices are much better than those of the reading smears under a microscope by the professional staff. Therefore, it is easier to be applied at the grassroots level.