Hc. Schindler et al., Development and optimization of polymerase chain reaction-based malaria diagnostic methods and their comparison with quantitative buffy coat assay, AM J TROP M, 65(4), 2001, pp. 355-361
Citations number
35
Categorie Soggetti
Envirnomentale Medicine & Public Health","Medical Research General Topics
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assays targeting the small-subunit rR
NA were developed and evaluated, allowing for the simultaneous diagnosis of
Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax DNA in human blood samples. The
PCR methods and quantitative buffy coat (QBC) were compared in 402 patient
s. The heminested PCR method showed a sensitivity of 97.4%, which was super
ior to the sensitivity of the QBC method (91.7%, P < 0.05), to simple PCR (
84.6%, P < 0.001), and to PCR with digoxigenin labeling (PCR-DIG) (88.5%, P
< 0.001). The PCR-DIG and QBC analyses were more sensitive than simple PCR
(P < 0.003 and P < 0.05, respectively). There was no significant differenc
e between the sensitivities of the QBC assay and the PCR-DIG assay. The spe
cificity for the 3 PCR-based methods was 100%, superior to the specificity
calculated for the QBC assay (88.95%, P < 0.009). The frequency of a positi
ve result in groups from endemic areas but without detectable parasitemia i
ncreased, in order, from simple PCR, QBC test, PCR-DIG, to heminested PCR.
An association between a positive PCR result and a history of malaria was a
lso found. Taken together, these data suggest that this technology could be
further developed to screen people with oligoparasitemia and to monitor ma
laria treatment.