What it measures
Antibodies the immune system makes against the malaria parasite. They show exposure to malaria at some point and can stay in the blood for months or years, so they do not show whether someone has malaria now.
Why people test it
- Checked after travel to a malaria area to see whether there has been exposure.
- Part of post-travel screens that check for several tropical infections at once.
- Used when a past illness abroad might have been malaria but was never tested.
Typical range
Reported as positive or negative (detected or not detected). Methods and cut-offs vary between labs, and your report shows how the lab reads the result.
Finger-prick or vein?
Offered as a vein draw only, often within a post-travel screen.
A current infection is diagnosed with a blood film or an antigen test, not with antibodies.