Highly sensitive photonic crystal fiber biosensor for early malaria detection via RBC variation monitoring

Every year, more than one million individuals die from malaria, an infection spread by mosquitoes carried out by hemoparasites with only one cell of the class plasmodium. In this work, a photonic crystal fibre (PCF) based RI biosensor for first detection of malarias disease in individuals using red blood cell (RBC) variation monitoring is presented. The proposed PCF includes three layers of hexagonal lattices of elliptical air holes and also contains a small vertical elliptical channel in which RBC samples are placed. Because of the RI difference between samples of both healthy and malaria’s-infected human RBCs, the peak wavelength of infected RBC samples differs from that of normal RBC samples. By the calculation, the achieved wavelengths sensitivities of the biosensor are 3571.42 nm/RIU, 3157.89 nm/RIU, and 3103.44 nm/RIU in the x-polarized direction and 2857.14 nm/RIU, 2631.57 nm/RIU, and 2758.6 nm/RIU in the y-polarized direction in different phases which are ring, trophozoite, and Schizont respectively, with a highest possible detection limit of 0.029. Because of small detection limit and high sensitivity, the proposed PCF biosensor has enhanced sensing abilities that make it right for primary diagnosis of malaria diseases. With its high sensitivity and low detection limit, this PCF biosensor has improved sensing capabilities that make it appropriate for malaria diagnosis at the outset.