ArticleMalaria journal2020
Utility of ultra-sensitive qPCR to detect Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax infections under different transmission intensities.
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 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- Efficacy, Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of MMV390048 in Acute Uncomplicated Malaria.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2023Trial
- Genetic polymorphism of msp2 in Plasmodium falciparum isolates among asymptomatic malaria infections from two ecological settings in Cameroon.Malaria journal · 2025Article
- Prevalence of Asymptomatic non-Falciparum and Falciparum Malaria in the 2014-15 Rwanda Demographic Health Survey.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- Genetic surveillance reveals low but sustained malaria transmission with clonal replacement in Sao Tome and Principe.Communications medicine · 2025Article
- Prevalence of asymptomatic non-falciparum and falciparum malaria in the 2014-15 Rwanda Demographic Health Survey.PloS one · 2025Article
- Standardization of DNA extraction from paraffinized spleen samples: molecular diagnosis of human malaria.Malaria journal · 2023Article
- Diagnostic performance of NxTekMalaria journal · 2023Article
- Malaria transmission structure in the Peruvian Amazon through antibody signatures to Plasmodium vivax.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2022Article
- Comparison of PvLAP5 and Pvs25 qRT-PCR assays for the detection of Plasmodium vivax gametocytes in field samples preserved at ambient temperature from remote malaria endemic regions of Panama.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2022Article
- Evolutionary genetics of malaria.Frontiers in genetics · 2022Article
- Improving the Molecular Diagnosis of Malaria: Droplet Digital PCR-Based Method Using Saliva as a DNA Source.Frontiers in microbiology · 2022Article
- An Ultra-Sensitive Technique: UsingPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
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Abstract
backgroundThe use of molecular diagnostics has revealed an unexpectedly large number of asymptomatic low-density malaria infections in many malaria endemic areas. This study compared the gains in parasite prevalence obtained by the use of ultra-sensitive (us)-qPCR as compared to standard qPCR in cross-sectional surveys conducted in Thailand, Brazil and Papua New Guinea (PNG). The compared assays differed in the copy number of qPCR targets in the parasite genome.
methodsPlasmodium falciparum (Pf) and Plasmodium vivax (Pv) parasites were quantified by qPCR amplifying the low-copy Pf_ and Pv_18S rRNA genes or the multi-copy targets Pf_varATS and Pv_mtCOX1. Cross-sectional surveys at the three study sites included 2252 participants of all ages and represented different transmission intensities.
resultsIn the two low-transmission areas, P. falciparum positivity was 1.3% (10/773) (Thailand) and 0.8% (5/651) (Brazil) using standard Pf_18S rRNA qPCR. In these two countries, P. falciparum positivity by Pf_varATS us-qPCR increased to 1.9% (15/773) and 1.7% (11/651). In PNG, an area with moderate transmission intensity, P. falciparum positivity significantly increased from 8.6% (71/828) by standard qPCR to 12.2% (101/828) by us-qPCR. The proportions of P. falciparum infections not detected by standard qPCR were 33%, 55% and 30% in Thailand, Brazil and PNG. Plasmodium vivax was the predominating species in Thailand and Brazil, with 3.9% (30/773) and 4.9% (32/651) positivity by Pv_18S rRNA qPCR. In PNG, P. vivax positivity was similar to P. falciparum, at 8.0% (66/828). Use of Pv_mtCOX1 us-qPCR led to a significant increase in positivity to 5.1% (39/773), 6.4% (42/651) and 11.5% (95/828) in Thailand, Brazil, and PNG. The proportions of P. vivax infections missed by standard qPCR were similar at all three sites, with 23%, 24% and 31% in Thailand, Brazil and PNG.
conclusionThe proportional gains in the detection of P. falciparum and P. vivax infections by ultra-sensitive diagnostic assays were substantial at all three study sites. Thus, us-qPCR yields more precise prevalence estimates for both P. falciparum and P. vivax at all studied levels of endemicity and represents a significant diagnostic improvement. Improving sensitivity in P. vivax surveillance by us-qPCR is of particular benefit, because the additionally detected P. vivax infections signal the potential presence of hypnozoites and subsequent risk of relapse and further transmission.
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