Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2004 Feb;42(2):636-8.
doi: 10.1128/JCM.42.2.636-638.2004.

Evaluation of the RealArt Malaria LC real-time PCR assay for malaria diagnosis

Gabriella A Farcas  1 , Kathleen J Y Zhong, Tony Mazzulli, Kevin C Kain
Affiliations

Evaluation of the RealArt Malaria LC real-time PCR assay for malaria diagnosis

Gabriella A Farcas et al. J Clin Microbiol. 2004 Feb.

Abstract

PCR-based methods have advantages over traditional microscopic methods for the diagnosis of malaria, especially in cases of low parasitemia and mixed infections. However, current PCR-based assays are often labor-intensive and not readily quantifiable and have the potential for contamination due to a requirement for postamplification sample handling. Real-time PCR can address these limitations. This study evaluated the performance characteristics of a commercial malaria real-time PCR assay (RealArt Malaria LC Assay; Artus GmbH, Hamburg, Germany) on the LightCycler platform for the detection of malaria parasites in 259 febrile returned travelers. Compared to nested PCR as the reference standard, the real-time assay had a sensitivity of 99.5%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100%, and negative predictive value of 99.6% for the detection of malaria. Our results indicate that the RealArt assay is a rapid (<45 min), sensitive, and specific method for the detection of malaria in returned travelers.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Blair, P. L., A. Witney, J. D. Haynes, J. K. Moch, D. J. Carucci, and J. H. Adams. 2002. Transcripts of developmentally regulated Plasmodium falciparum genes quantified by real-time RT-PCR. Nucleic Acids Res. 30:2224-2231. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brown, A. E., K. C. Kain, J. Pipithkul, and H. K. Webster. 1992. Demonstration by the polymerase chain reaction of mixed Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax infections undetected by conventional microscopy. Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg. 86:609-612. - PubMed
    1. Bruna-Romero, O., J. C. R. Hafalla, G. Gonzalez-Aseguinolaza, G. Sano, M. Tsuji, and F. Zavala. 2001. Detection of malaria liver-stage in mice infected through the bite of a single Anopheles mosquito using a highly sensitive real-time PCR. Int. J. Parasitol. 31:1499-1502. - PubMed
    1. Fabre, R., A. Berry, and J. F. Magnaval. 2003. Diagnosis of imported malaria with a multiplex PCR on LightCycler apparatus. Pathol. Biol. (Paris) 51:44-46. - PubMed
    1. Hanscheid, T., and M. P. Grobusch. 2002. How useful is PCR in the diagnosis of malaria? Trends Parasitol. 18:395-398. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms