title: Rapid detection of malaria infection in vivo by laser desorption mass spectrometry.
abstract: Rapid diagnosis leading to effective treatment is essential to control escalating infectious diseases such as malaria. Malaria pigment (hemozoin) detection by laser desorption mass spectometry (LDMS) was recently shown to be a sensitive (<10 parasites/muL) technique for detecting Plasmodium falciparum parasites cultured in human blood. To examine the use of LDMS in a rapid new malaria screening assay, we followed the time course of P. yoelii infections in mice in parallel with light microscopy and a colorimetric hemozoin assay. Hemozoin was detected by LDMS in 0.3 muL of blood within two days of infection independently of the inoculating dose of 10(6), 10(4), or 10(2) parasite-infected erythrocytes. Microscopy and colorimetric hemozoin determinations lagged the LDMS detection of infections by 2-4 and 3-5 days, respectively, except at the highest inoculation dose. The LDMS detection of hemozoin is a potentially more rapid screen than light microscopy for detecting malaria infection in this mouse model at parasitemias <0.1%.
authors.affiliation: M. S. Eisenhower Research and Technology Development Center, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723-6099, USA. pscholl@jhsph.edu
authors.forename: Peter F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Scholl
authors.forename: Darin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kongkasuriyachai
authors.forename: Plamen A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Demirev
authors.forename: Andrew B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Nirbhay
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006420:Hemeproteins / Q000032:analysis*; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000032:analysis*; D010967:Plasmodium yoelii / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D006420:Hemeproteins; D010860:Pigments, Biological; C020753:hemozoin