title: Evaluation of the intra- and inter-specific genetic variability of Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Malaria diagnosis is vital to efficient control programmes and the recent advent of malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) provides a reliable and simple diagnostic method. However a characterization of the efficiency of these tests and the proteins they detect is needed to maximize RDT sensitivity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasmodial lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) gene of wild isolates of the four human species of Plasmodium from a variety of malaria endemic settings were sequenced and analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No variation in nucleotide was found within Plasmodium falciparum, synonymous mutations were found for Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium. vivax; and three different types of amino acid sequence were found for Plasmodium ovale. Conserved and variable regions were identified within each species.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that antigen variability is unlikely to explain variability in performance of RDTs detecting pLDH from cases of P. falciparum, P. vivax or P. malariae malaria, but may contribute to poor detection of P. ovale.
authors.affiliation: Unité d'Epidémiologie Moléculaire, Institut Pasteur in Cambodia 5 Boulevard Monivong BP983, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia. arthurtalman@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: Arthur M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Talman
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Duval
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Legrand
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hubert
authors.forename: Seiha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Le Bras
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ariey
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Houze
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics*; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000201:enzymology; D010965:Plasmodium malariae / Q000201:enzymology; D041122:Plasmodium ovale / Q000201:enzymology; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000201:enzymology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase