Kamil A Braima, Kim A Piera, Inke Nd Lubis, Rintis Noviyanti, Giri S Rajahram, Pinkan Kariodimedjo, Irbah Ra Nainggolan, Ranti Permatasari, Leily Trianty, Ristya Amalia, Sitti Saimah Binti Sakam, Angelica F Tan, Timothy William, Jacob Af Westaway, PingChin Lee, Sylvia Daim, Henry Surendra, Nathaniel Christy, Andrew G Letizia, Christopher L Peatey, Mohd Arshil Moideen, Bridget E Barber, Colin J Sutherland, Nicholas M Anstey, Matthew J Grigg
BACKGROUND: Zoonotic P. knowlesi and P. cynomolgi symptomatic and asymptomatic infections occur across endemic areas of Southeast Asia. Most infections are low-parasitemia, with an unknown proportion below routine microscopy detection thresholds. Molecular surveillance tools optimizing the limit of detection (LOD) would allow more accurate estimates of zoonotic malaria prevalence. METHODS: An established ultra-sensitive Plasmodium genus quantitative-PCR (qPCR) assay targeting the 18S rRNA gene underwent LOD evaluation with and without reverse transcription (RT) for P...
April 6, 2024: medRxiv