[Sensitivity, specificity and stability of the Tag-primer nested/multiplex PCR for malaria diagnosis].
OBJECTIVE
To improve the sensitivity, specificity and stability of the Tag-primer nested/multiplex PCR for malaria diagnosis.


METHODS
Filter paper blood samples were collected from 30 non-malaria fever patients and 20 infectious disease patients (common cold, influenza, typhoid, hepatitis, etc.). Four ml blood each taken from one falciparum malaria patient and one vivax malaria patient was serially diluted. Healthy blood sample was used as negative control. Improved direct heating method was used to prepare DNA template. The cytochrome oxidase gene (coxI) located in mitochondrion was selected as target gene. Relevant web resources and software (PUBMED, NCBI-BLAST, Mfold server and Primer Premier 5.0) were employed to design and optimize Tag-primer nested/multiplex PCR (UT-PCR) which was used to test all blood samples.


RESULTS
A 611 bp band and a 255 bp band were seen in serially diluted infected blood samples (1,000, 100, 10 and 1 parasite/microl) from P.f and P.v patient tested by UT-PCR. The detection limit of either P. falciparum or P. vivax reached 1 parasite/microl, and the tested blood samples of non-malaria fever patients, patients with other infectious diseases and healthy persons were all negative. Consistent results of each sample in more than 3 duplicated tests were obtained.


CONCLUSIONS
The optimized Tag-primer nested/multiplex PCR shows high sensitivity, specificity and stability in malaria diagnosis.
Guangxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanning 530021, China.
Chuan-kun
CK
Guo
Xue-ming
XM
Li
Jin-hui
JH
Li
Wei
W
Mao
Zhen
Z
Lin
Jin-fa
JF
Du
Tian-yi
TY
Huang
D000818:Animals; D017931:DNA Primers; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D017931:DNA Primers; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV