Applied genomics: data mining reveals species-specific malaria diagnostic targets more sensitive than 18S rRNA
| Autor: | Allison Demas, John W. Barnwell, Naomi W. Lucchi, Jenna Oberstaller, Abdunoor M. Kabanywanyi, S. Patrick Kachur, Deborah Sumari, Ananias A. Escalante, Leopoldo Villegas, Jeremy D. DeBarry, Venkatachalam Udhayakumar, Ganesh Srinivasamoorthy, Jessica C. Kissinger, David S. Peterson |
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| Rok vydání: | 2011 |
| Předmět: |
Microbiology (medical)
Plasmodium falciparum 030231 tropical medicine Plasmodium vivax Molecular Diagnostic Method Computational biology Polymerase Chain Reaction Sensitivity and Specificity Tanzania law.invention 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine law Multiplex polymerase chain reaction parasitic diseases Malaria Vivax RNA Ribosomal 18S Animals Data Mining Humans Multiplex Malaria Falciparum Polymerase chain reaction Diagnosis & treatment DNA Primers 030304 developmental biology 0303 health sciences biology Computational Biology DNA Protozoan Venezuela biology.organism_classification Virology 3. Good health Parasitology Genome Protozoan Nested polymerase chain reaction RNA Protozoan |
| Popis: | Accurate and rapid diagnosis of malaria infections is crucial for implementing species-appropriate treatment and saving lives. Molecular diagnostic tools are the most accurate and sensitive method of detecting Plasmodium , differentiating between Plasmodium species, and detecting subclinical infections. Despite available whole-genome sequence data for Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax , the majority of PCR-based methods still rely on the 18S rRNA gene targets. Historically, this gene has served as the best target for diagnostic assays. However, it is limited in its ability to detect mixed infections in multiplex assay platforms without the use of nested PCR. New diagnostic targets are needed. Ideal targets will be species specific, highly sensitive, and amenable to both single-step and multiplex PCRs. We have mined the genomes of P. falciparum and P. vivax to identify species-specific, repetitive sequences that serve as new PCR targets for the detection of malaria. We show that these targets (Pvr47 and Pfr364) exist in 14 to 41 copies and are more sensitive than 18S rRNA when utilized in a single-step PCR. Parasites are routinely detected at levels of 1 to 10 parasites/μl. The reaction can be multiplexed to detect both species in a single reaction. We have examined 7 P. falciparum strains and 91 P. falciparum clinical isolates from Tanzania and 10 P. vivax strains and 96 P. vivax clinical isolates from Venezuela, and we have verified a sensitivity and specificity of ∼100% for both targets compared with a nested 18S rRNA approach. We show that bioinformatics approaches can be successfully applied to identify novel diagnostic targets and improve molecular methods for pathogen detection. These novel targets provide a powerful alternative molecular diagnostic method for the detection of P. falciparum and P. vivax in conventional or multiplex PCR platforms. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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