Evaluation of the intra- and inter-specific genetic variability of Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase.
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.
Talman
Arthur M
AM
Unité d'Epidémiologie Moléculaire, Institut Pasteur in Cambodia 5 Boulevard Monivong BP983, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia. arthurtalman@yahoo.co.uk
Duval
Linda
L
Legrand
Eric
E
Hubert
Véronique
V
Yen
Seiha
S
Bell
David
D
Le Bras
Jacques
J
Ariey
Frédéric
F
Houze
Sandrine
S
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
D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase