ArticleMalaria journal2020
Template copy number and the sensitivity of quantitative PCR for Plasmodium falciparum in asymptomatic individuals.
Article in Malaria journal, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Targeting surface cell antigen 2 increases sensitivity of Rickettsia typhi detection.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Generic Reporter Sets for Colorimetric Multiplex dPCR Demonstrated with 6-Plex SNP Quantification Panels.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- The role of long noncoding RNAs in malaria parasites.Trends in parasitology · 2023Review
- Application of a low-cost, specific, and sensitive loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay to detect Plasmodium falciparum imported from Africa.Molecular and biochemical parasitology · 2022Article
- Towards the use of a smartphone imaging-based tool for point-of-care detection of asymptomatic low-density malaria parasitaemia.Malaria journal · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe identification of asymptomatic individuals with Plasmodium falciparum infection is difficult because they do not seek medical treatment and often have too few asexual parasites detectable using microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests (≤ 200 parasites per μl). Quantitative PCR (qPCR) may provide greater sensitivity and permits estimation of the initial template DNA concentration. This study examined the hypothesis that qPCR assays using templates with higher copy numbers may be more sensitive for P. falciparum than assays based on templates with lower copy numbers.
methodsTo test this hypothesis, ten qPCR assays for DNA sequences with template copy numbers from 1 to 160 were compared using parasite DNA standards (n = 2) and smear-positive filter paper blots from asymptomatic smear-positive subjects (n = 96).
resultsBased on the testing of P. falciparum parasite DNA standards and filter paper blots, cycle threshold values decreased as the concentrations of template DNA and template copy numbers increased (p < 0.001). Likewise, the analytical and clinical sensitivities of qPCR assays for P. falciparum DNA (based on DNA standards and filter paper blots, respectively) increased with template copy number. Despite the gains in clinical sensitivity from increased template copy numbers, qPCR assays failed to detect more than half of the filter paper blots with low parasite densities (≤ 200 asexual parasites per μl).
conclusionsThese results confirm the hypothesis that the sensitivity of qPCR for P. falciparum in the blood of individuals with asymptomatic infection increases with template copy number. However, because even the most sensitive qPCR assays (with template copy numbers from 32 to 160) detected fewer than 50% of infections with ≤ 200 asexual parasites per μl, the sensitivity of qPCR must be increased further to identify all smear-positive, asymptomatic individuals in order to interrupt transmission.
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Registered trials
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