Development of a multiplex STH-PAS assay as a tool for malaria diagnosis.

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26460514
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Parasitology (including sanitary zoology)
• Research Institution: Dokkyo Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Kawai Satoru 獨協医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (70275733)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 川瀬 三雄 東北大学, 医工学研究科, 教授 (50108057) ; 美田 敏宏 順天堂大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (80318013)
• Research Collaborator: Niwa Kosuke 日本ガイシ株式会社
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: マラリア / STH-PAS法 / 遺伝子診断法 / P. falciparum / P. vivax / P. malariae / P. ovale / P. knowlesi

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The diagnosis of malaria at regional clinics in endemic areas has mainly been performed by microscopic examination of blood smears because of its ease and rapid application. However, the blood stages of malaria parasites often difficult to differentiate morphologically. Therefore, to improve global health efforts towards malaria control, a rapid, sensitive, species-specific, and economically viable diagnostic method is needed. In the present study, we developed a single-stranded tag hybridization chromatographic printed-array strip (STH-PAS) method for the molecular diagnosis of malaria infection and evaluated its sensitivity, specificity, and clinical applicability. We presented the successful development of a STH-PAS method for detecting malaria parasites, using a primer set that targets the cytochromｂgene of the parasites. The detection sensitivity was found to be at least 100 times higher than that of agarose gel electrophoresis with ethidium bromide.

Free Research Field

寄生虫病学