Detection of malaria liver-stages in mice infected through the bite of a single Anopheles mosquito using a highly sensitive real-time PCR

We describe a highly sensitive real-time PCR to detect and measure the deve lopment of the liver-stages of malaria parasites in mice infected with spor ozoites ranging in number from 25 to more than 164,000, using the same reac tion conditions. Furthermore, this assay detects and measures parasite load s in the livers of mice exposed to the bite of a single malaria-infected An opheles mosquito. This unique method should greatly facilitate studies aime d at evaluating very precisely the efficacy of anti-malarial experimental d rug treatments and vaccination regimens in conditions of infection resembli ng those found in the field. (C) 2001 Australian Society for Parasitology I nc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.