Madhavinadha Prasad Kona, Armel N Tedjou, Mary Kefi, Francesco Buongiorno, Charles S Wondji, George Dimopoulos
{"title":"离网现场可部署疟疾监测分子诊断平台。","authors":"Madhavinadha Prasad Kona, Armel N Tedjou, Mary Kefi, Francesco Buongiorno, Charles S Wondji, George Dimopoulos","doi":"10.1186/s13071-025-06779-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Malaria, a major global health concern, continues to cause substantial morbidity and mortality, particularly in tropical regions. Traditional malaria diagnostic methods such as microscopy and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) are effective but face challenges in field settings because of their requirement for laboratories with specialized equipment and trained personnel. This study presents the development and validation of a portable, cost-effective, field-deployable real-time qPCR platform for detecting Plasmodium species.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Field-compatible DNA isolation was performed using DNAzol, and TaqMan probes targeting 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) were employed to detect five Plasmodium species-P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. knowlesi-using the bCUBE qPCR platform. In vitro-cultured P. falciparum and experimentally infected Anopheles gambiae were used to quantify P. falciparum infections, with infection prevalence compared to microscopy. The bCUBE qPCR system was also evaluated under field conditions to detect P. falciparum infections in field-collected An. gambiae mosquitoes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The bCUBE qPCR demonstrated a strong linear correlation (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.993) with a standard laboratory qPCR machine for detecting P. falciparum infections. It successfully detected as few as 0.5 parasites/µl of blood, one oocyst in mosquito guts, and 5-10 sporozoites in salivary glands. It was also capable of discriminating between P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. knowlesi. Field evaluations in Cameroon confirmed its accuracy in identifying P. falciparum in mosquito samples, with same-day results. The capability of the bCUBE qPCR system to detect infections in both individual and pooled mosquito surveillance further highlights its potential for in-field large-scale malaria monitoring surveillance.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The bCUBE qPCR system offers a portable, sensitive, and scalable solution for malaria diagnostics, enabling real-time surveillance in resource-limited settings. Its ability to provide rapid, on-site results reduces the need for centralized laboratory testing, facilitating timely decision-making in malaria control programs.</p>","PeriodicalId":19793,"journal":{"name":"Parasites & Vectors","volume":"18 1","pages":"150"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12016468/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Off-grid field-deployable molecular diagnostic platform for malaria surveillance.\",\"authors\":\"Madhavinadha Prasad Kona, Armel N Tedjou, Mary Kefi, Francesco Buongiorno, Charles S Wondji, George Dimopoulos\",\"doi\":\"10.1186/s13071-025-06779-y\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Malaria, a major global health concern, continues to cause substantial morbidity and mortality, particularly in tropical regions. Traditional malaria diagnostic methods such as microscopy and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) are effective but face challenges in field settings because of their requirement for laboratories with specialized equipment and trained personnel. This study presents the development and validation of a portable, cost-effective, field-deployable real-time qPCR platform for detecting Plasmodium species.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Field-compatible DNA isolation was performed using DNAzol, and TaqMan probes targeting 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) were employed to detect five Plasmodium species-P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. knowlesi-using the bCUBE qPCR platform. In vitro-cultured P. falciparum and experimentally infected Anopheles gambiae were used to quantify P. falciparum infections, with infection prevalence compared to microscopy. The bCUBE qPCR system was also evaluated under field conditions to detect P. falciparum infections in field-collected An. gambiae mosquitoes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The bCUBE qPCR demonstrated a strong linear correlation (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.993) with a standard laboratory qPCR machine for detecting P. falciparum infections. It successfully detected as few as 0.5 parasites/µl of blood, one oocyst in mosquito guts, and 5-10 sporozoites in salivary glands. It was also capable of discriminating between P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. knowlesi. Field evaluations in Cameroon confirmed its accuracy in identifying P. falciparum in mosquito samples, with same-day results. The capability of the bCUBE qPCR system to detect infections in both individual and pooled mosquito surveillance further highlights its potential for in-field large-scale malaria monitoring surveillance.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The bCUBE qPCR system offers a portable, sensitive, and scalable solution for malaria diagnostics, enabling real-time surveillance in resource-limited settings. Its ability to provide rapid, on-site results reduces the need for centralized laboratory testing, facilitating timely decision-making in malaria control programs.</p>\",\"PeriodicalId\":19793,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Parasites & Vectors\",\"volume\":\"18 1\",\"pages\":\"150\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":3.0000,\"publicationDate\":\"2025-04-23\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12016468/pdf/\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Parasites & Vectors\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"3\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06779-y\",\"RegionNum\":2,\"RegionCategory\":\"医学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q1\",\"JCRName\":\"PARASITOLOGY\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Parasites & Vectors","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06779-y","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PARASITOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
Off-grid field-deployable molecular diagnostic platform for malaria surveillance.
Background: Malaria, a major global health concern, continues to cause substantial morbidity and mortality, particularly in tropical regions. Traditional malaria diagnostic methods such as microscopy and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) are effective but face challenges in field settings because of their requirement for laboratories with specialized equipment and trained personnel. This study presents the development and validation of a portable, cost-effective, field-deployable real-time qPCR platform for detecting Plasmodium species.
Methods: Field-compatible DNA isolation was performed using DNAzol, and TaqMan probes targeting 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) were employed to detect five Plasmodium species-P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. knowlesi-using the bCUBE qPCR platform. In vitro-cultured P. falciparum and experimentally infected Anopheles gambiae were used to quantify P. falciparum infections, with infection prevalence compared to microscopy. The bCUBE qPCR system was also evaluated under field conditions to detect P. falciparum infections in field-collected An. gambiae mosquitoes.
Results: The bCUBE qPCR demonstrated a strong linear correlation (R2 = 0.993) with a standard laboratory qPCR machine for detecting P. falciparum infections. It successfully detected as few as 0.5 parasites/µl of blood, one oocyst in mosquito guts, and 5-10 sporozoites in salivary glands. It was also capable of discriminating between P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. knowlesi. Field evaluations in Cameroon confirmed its accuracy in identifying P. falciparum in mosquito samples, with same-day results. The capability of the bCUBE qPCR system to detect infections in both individual and pooled mosquito surveillance further highlights its potential for in-field large-scale malaria monitoring surveillance.
Conclusions: The bCUBE qPCR system offers a portable, sensitive, and scalable solution for malaria diagnostics, enabling real-time surveillance in resource-limited settings. Its ability to provide rapid, on-site results reduces the need for centralized laboratory testing, facilitating timely decision-making in malaria control programs.
期刊介绍:
Parasites & Vectors is an open access, peer-reviewed online journal dealing with the biology of parasites, parasitic diseases, intermediate hosts, vectors and vector-borne pathogens. Manuscripts published in this journal will be available to all worldwide, with no barriers to access, immediately following acceptance. However, authors retain the copyright of their material and may use it, or distribute it, as they wish.
Manuscripts on all aspects of the basic and applied biology of parasites, intermediate hosts, vectors and vector-borne pathogens will be considered. In addition to the traditional and well-established areas of science in these fields, we also aim to provide a vehicle for publication of the rapidly developing resources and technology in parasite, intermediate host and vector genomics and their impacts on biological research. We are able to publish large datasets and extensive results, frequently associated with genomic and post-genomic technologies, which are not readily accommodated in traditional journals. Manuscripts addressing broader issues, for example economics, social sciences and global climate change in relation to parasites, vectors and disease control, are also welcomed.