title: Evaluation of a real-time PCR assay for malaria diagnosis in patients from Vietnam and in returned travellers.
abstract: Real-time PCR diagnosis of malaria has advantages over traditional microscopic methods, especially when parasitaemia is low and when dealing with mixed infections. We have developed a new real-time PCR with specific genes in each Plasmodium species present only in one copy to identify the four pathogenic Plasmodium spp. for humans. The sensitivity was less than 25 parasites/microl. No cross-hybridisation was observed with human DNA or among the four Plasmodium spp. Using LightCycler PCR and conventional microscopy, we compared the diagnosis of malaria in patients from Vietnam and in returned European travellers with suspicion of malaria. In patients from Vietnam with suspicion of malaria, one mixed infection was observed by PCR only; the remaining data (54 of 55 patients) correlated with microscopy. In 79 patients without symptoms, low parasitaemia was detected in 7 samples by microscopy and in 16 samples by PCR. In returned travellers, PCR results were correlated with microscopy for all four species in 48 of 56 samples. The eight discrepant results were resolved in favour of real-time PCR diagnosis. This new real-time PCR is a rapid, accurate and efficient method for malaria diagnosis in returned travellers as well as for epidemiological studies or antimalarial efficiency trials in the field.
authors.affiliation: Université de la Méditerranée, EA 864, IFR 48, Marseille, France; University of Hue, 20 Le Loi, Hue, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Thi Kim Duy
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Vo
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bigot
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gazin
authors.forename: Veronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sinou
authors.forename: Jean Jacques
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: De Pina
authors.forename: Dinh Chien
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Huynh
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fumoux
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Parzy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000175:diagnosis; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000175:diagnosis; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D010965:Plasmodium malariae / Q000235:genetics; D041122:Plasmodium ovale / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013785:Thailand; D014195:Travel
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan