Real-time nucleic acid sequence-based amplification is more convenient than real-time PCR for quantification of Plasmodium falciparum.

ABSTRACT: Determination of the number of malaria parasites by routine or even expert microscopy is not always sufficiently sensitive for detailed quantitative studies on the population dynamics of Plasmodium falciparum, such as intervention or vaccine trials. To circumvent this problem, two more sensitive assays, real-time quantitative nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (QT-NASBA) and real-time quantitative PCR (QT-PCR) were compared for quantification of P. falciparum parasites. QT-NASBA was adapted to molecular beacon real-time detection technology, which enables a reduction of the time of analysis and of contamination risk while retaining the specificity and sensitivity of the original assay. Both QT-NASBA and QT-PCR have a sensitivity of 20 parasites/ml of blood, but QT-PCR requires a com

SUBMITTER: Schneider P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC540116 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature