16th August 2024

A 67-year-old female is brought to hospital by her husband. They returned from a safari holiday in Kenya

A 67-year-old female is brought to hospital by her husband. They returned from a safari holiday in Kenya approximately 3 weeks ago, and her husband reports that she has not been quite herself for several weeks.

In the last week, she has started to have very high fevers, with headache and malaise. Earlier this morning, she started to abruptly become very agitated and confused and then had a brief seizure, which self terminated.

Her past medical history includes a splenectomy many years ago after a road traffic accident.

On examination, she remains obtunded. You note petechiae on the arms and legs. There is scattered lymphadenopathy.

Which single rapid turnaround test will be most diagnostic?

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.