'SPECIFIC, HIGHLY SENSITIVE, NESTED PCR DETECTION SCHEME FOR THE PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM AND PLASMODIUM VIVAX'

摘要

The present invention provides for highly specific and sensitive nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for detecting the presence or absence of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax in clinical specimens. This method targets a 286 bp region of the Plasmodium falciparum and 294 bp region of the Plasmodium vivax 28S Ribosomal RNA gene. Nucleotide sequences for highly specific novel primers derived from this 28S rRNA gene are also disclosed. These primers are used with the nested polymerase chain reaction method to amplify targeted nucleotide sequences within the ~790 base-pair segment of the 28S Ribosomal RNA gene. This approach facilitates the application of Nested PCR to P.falciparum & P.vivax detection in lab settings. The novel primers and optimized reaction conditions of the nested polymerase chain reaction method enable significantly greater sensitivity for the detection of Plasmodium falciparum & Plasmodium vivax DNA in tissue suspected of harboring the respective pathogen and thus helpful in detecting mixed infections.