Diagnosis of vivax malaria using an IgM capture ELISA is a sensitive method, even for low levels of parasitemia.
Although diagnosis of Plasmodium vivax malaria has been difficult when it is present at a low parasite density, it was recently revealed that an antibody assay was a good method of screening for malaria in blood banks. However, the use of this method for the diagnosis of malaria is limited due to the persistence of specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G. Therefore, we evaluated specific IgM antibody responses against the C-terminal region of the merozoite surface protein 1 of P. vivax (PvMSP1c) in sera obtained from patients with vivax malaria using various assays. The IgM capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed good sensitivity (97.7%; 308/315) and specificity (99.1%, 446/450). In addition, the results of this assay were not related to parasite density, and a high reactivity was observed when there was a low level of parasitemia. Furthermore, we found that patients with cases of malaria that had relapsed still had the IgM titers against PvMSP1c. Therefore, the use of IgM ELISA for the detection of specific IgM that was not involved in memorial immune activity could be an alternative tool for the diagnosis of malaria and blood screening, even in areas in which malaria is endemic.
Department of Microbiology, Gachon Medical School, Incheon, South Korea.
Jae-Won
JW
Park
Seung Bum
SB
Yoo
Jae Hoon
JH
Oh
Joon-Sup
JS
Yeom
Young-Ha
YH
Lee
Young Yil
YY
Bahk
Yu Sam
YS
Kim
Kook Jin
KJ
Lim
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood*; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood*; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D020066:Merozoite Surface Protein 1 / Q000276:immunology; D008875:Middle Aged; D018512:Parasitemia; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000276:immunology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D020066:Merozoite Surface Protein 1