PRB1 and malaria: Following the diagnosis results (hereinafter referred to as test results) with Giemsa-stained thick blood smear microscopic examination, we obtained 611 positive malaria cases [referred to as microscopy-positive group (MPG)] including 610 cases of Pf and one case of Pm, while the remaining 199 cases were tested malaria negative and were referred to as the microscopy-negative group (MNG).