Development of a multiplex PCR-ligase detection reaction assay for diagnosis of infection by the four parasite species causing malaria in humans.
The diagnosis of infections caused by Plasmodium species is critical for understanding the nature of malarial disease, treatment efficacy, malaria control, and public health. The demands of field-based epidemiological studies of malaria will require faster and more sensitive diagnostic methods as new antimalarial drugs and vaccines are explored. We have developed a multiplex PCR-ligase detection reaction (LDR) assay that allows the simultaneous diagnosis of infection by all four parasite species causing malaria in humans. This assay exhibits sensitivity and specificity equal to those of other PCR-based assays, identifying all four human malaria parasite species at levels of parasitemias equal to 1 parasitized erythrocyte/microl of blood. The multiplex PCR-LDR assay goes beyond other PCR-based assays by reducing technical procedures and by detecting intraindividual differences in species-specific levels of parasitemia. Application of the multiplex PCR-LDR assay will provide the sensitivity and specificity expected of PCR-based diagnostic assays and will contribute new insight regarding relationships between the human malaria parasite species and the human host in future epidemiological studies.
McNamara
David T
DT
The Center for Global Health and Diseases, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Fourth Floor, Wolstein Research Building, 2103 Cornell Rd., Cleveland, OH 44106-7286, USA.
Thomson
Jodi M
JM
Kasehagen
Laurin J
LJ
Zimmerman
Peter A
PA
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D019295:Computational Biology; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D013045:Species Specificity
D016054:DNA, Protozoan