Published in:
Open Access
01-12-2007 | Research
Evaluation of the intra- and inter-specific genetic variability of Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase
Authors:
Arthur M Talman, Linda Duval, Eric Legrand, Véronique Hubert, Seiha Yen, David Bell, Jacques Le Bras, Frédéric Ariey, Sandrine Houze
Published in:
Malaria Journal
|
Issue 1/2007
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Abstract
Background
Malaria diagnosis is vital to efficient control programmes and the recent advent of malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) provides a reliable and simple diagnostic method. However a characterization of the efficiency of these tests and the proteins they detect is needed to maximize RDT sensitivity.
Methods
Plasmodial lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH) gene of wild isolates of the four human species of Plasmodium from a variety of malaria endemic settings were sequenced and analysed.
Results
No variation in nucleotide was found within Plasmodium falciparum, synonymous mutations were found for Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium. vivax; and three different types of amino acid sequence were found for Plasmodium ovale. Conserved and variable regions were identified within each species.
Conclusion
The results indicate that antigen variability is unlikely to explain variability in performance of RDTs detecting pLDH from cases of P. falciparum, P. vivax or P. malariae malaria, but may contribute to poor detection of P. ovale.