In Silico Identification of Novel Biomarkers and Development of New Rapid Diagnostic Tests for the Filarial Parasites Mansonella perstans and Mansonella ozzardi.

ABSTRACT: Mansonelliasis is a widespread yet neglected tropical infection of humans in Africa and South America caused by the filarial nematodes, Mansonella perstans, M. ozzardi, M. rodhaini and M. streptocerca. Clinical symptoms are non-distinct and diagnosis mainly relies on the detection of microfilariae in skin or blood. Species-specific DNA repeat sequences have been used as highly sensitive biomarkers for filarial nematodes. We have developed a bioinformatic pipeline to mine Illumina reads obtained from sequencing M. perstans and M. ozzardi genomic DNA for new repeat biomarker candidates which were used to develop loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) diagnostic tests. The M. perstans assay based on the Mp419 repeat has a limit of detection of 0.1 pg, equivalent of 1/1000^th

SUBMITTER: Poole CB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6635353 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature