title: Diagnosis and Species Discrimination of Positive Malaria Samples by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Malaria is an important tropical disease that is detected in 198 million people and causes 367-755 thousand deaths annually. Recently, the real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique has enabled quick determination of Plasmodium spp. and species identification in the same assay with a low contamination risk. In the present study, we aimed to use real-time PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene to diagnose Plasmodium spp. and perform species identification.
  
  
  METHODS
  DNA samples of 15 patients with malaria (14 caused by P. vivax, 1 caused by P. falciparum) confirmed by microscopy as well as positive control plasmids were used. As the negative control, DNA samples of 15 individuals without malaria were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to the results of real-time PCR, samples of 15 patients with malaria were found to be positive for Plasmodium spp. Melting curve analysis showed that 14 of them were P. vivax and the remaining was P. falciparum. In addition, mixed infection with P. falciparum and P. vivax was successfully detected by real-time PCR when DNA of P. falciparum- and P. vivax-positive samples was experimentally mixed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study showed that real-time PCR can be useful in the diagnosis and species identification of Plasmodium spp. as well as the detection of mixed infections in addition to microscopy in Turkey.
authors.affiliation: Ege Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Parazitoloji Anabilim Dalı, İzmir, Türkiye. huseyin.can@ege.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Esra
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Atalay Şahar
authors.forename: Muhammet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karakavuk
authors.forename: Hüseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Can
authors.forename: Şebnem
authors.initials: Ş
authors.lastname: Nergiz
authors.forename: Kadri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gül
authors.forename: Aysu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Değirmenci Döşkaya
authors.forename: Yüksel
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gürüz
authors.forename: Mert
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Döşkaya
mesh_terms: D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S