Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease caused by unicellular hemoparasites of the genus Plasmodium that results in the death of over one million people worldwide every year. Early diagnosis plays a key role in the treatment of infected patients and can reduce the mortality rate. This work proposes a simple designed photonic crystal fiber (PCF) sensor for detecting malarial infection using the refractive index (RI) of red blood cells (RBCs). The initial structure of the PCF sensor consists of double loops of circular air holes arranged in a hexagonal formation. A horizontal elliptical channel in the center of the fiber contains the RBCs sample. The sensor’s response was observed from the shift of the transmission spectra due to change in the RI of RBCs during different life stages of the parasite. Model parameters (transmission length, pitch, air hole diameter, and eccentricity of the elliptical channel) of the proposed sensor were optimized to obtain the best possible response. The highest spectral sensitivities were obtained about 11,428.57 nm/RIU, 9473.68 nm/RIU, and 9655.17 nm/RIU for the ring, trophozoite, and schizont phases of the parasite, respectively. Due to its high sensitivity, easy identification capability, and short transmission length, this sensor can be utilized as a cost-effective and useful device for malaria diagnosis.

疟疾是由疟原虫属的单细胞血寄生虫引起的蚊媒疾病每年导致全世界超过100万人死亡。早期诊断在感染患者的治疗中起着关键作用，可以降低死亡率。这项工作提出了一种设计简单的光子晶体光纤（PCF）传感器，该传感器可使用红细胞（RBC）的折射率（RI）检测疟疾感染。PCF传感器的初始结构由六边形排列的圆形气孔双圈组成。光纤中心的水平椭圆通道包含RBC样本。在寄生虫的不同生命阶段，由于红细胞的RI的变化所引起的透射光谱的移动，观察到了传感器的响应。模型参数（传输长度，螺距，气孔直径，拟议的传感器的椭圆通道的偏心率和椭圆率的偏心度）得到了优化，以获得最佳的响应。对于寄生虫的环，滋养体和裂殖体相，分别获得了最高的光谱灵敏度，分别约为11,428.57 nm / RIU，9473.68 nm / RIU和9655.17 nm / RIU。由于其高灵敏度，易于识别的能力和较短的传输长度，该传感器可以用作诊断疟疾的经济有效的设备。