Last Updated: 22/07/2025
Diagnosis of malaria in the Brazilian Amazon: Evaluation of the effectiveness of rapid tests and development of a new digital PCR protocol
Objectives
This study aims to standardize a new molecular protocol for the differential diagnosis of malaria by P. vivax and P. falciparum, based on new molecular targets and ddPCR and also define the pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 variability profile of P. falciparum isolates circulating in malaria endemic areas in Brazil.
Due to the limitations of the conventional parasitological method based on microscopy for the diagnosis of malaria, it is necessary to use molecular biology tools to complement the diagnosis with the detection of low parasitemias and mixed infections. The use of more sensitive methods is important since individuals with low parasitemias are a source of infection for the mosquito vector. The use of molecular methods is also of special interest in non-malaria endemic areas where experienced microscopists are lacking. Another important diagnostic tool is RDTs. Most RDTs are capable of detecting P. falciparum pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 gene products. However, the deletion of these genes constitutes an important limitation for the sensitivity of these diagnostic tests.
Jun 2017
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