title: Comparison of different PCR protocols for the detection and diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum.
abstract: An assessment of differing PCR protocols for the diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum infection was performed on samples from an area of holoendemic malaria transmission in western Burkina Faso. The PCR protocols had generally high sensitivities (>92%) and specificities (>69%), but the negative predictive values (NPV) were moderate and differed widely among the PCR protocols tested. These PCR protocols that amplified either the P. falciparum pfcrt gene or the small subunit ribosomal DNA were the most reliable diagnostic tools. However, the moderate NPV imply that more than one PCR protocol should be used for diagnosis in holoendemic areas.
authors.affiliation: Hygiene Institut, Abteilung Parasitologie, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oster
authors.forename: I Z
authors.initials: IZ
authors.lastname: Abdel-Aziz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stich
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Coulibaly
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kouyatè
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: McLean
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lanzer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan