Pradist Kaewsatien. The development and validation of Novel ELISA and real-time PCR plasmodium falciparum in vitro drug sensitivity assays . Master's Degree(Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2004.
The development and validation of Novel ELISA and real-time PCR plasmodium falciparum in vitro drug sensitivity assays
Abstract:
Despite the best efforts of health authorities, malaria remains prevalent along the borders
of Myanmar, Cambodia and Malaysia. The western part of Tak province Thailand, which
borders on eastern Myanmar, is endemic for multiple drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum.
In recent years there has been a concerted effort to develop quantitative in vitro assay
methods based on Quantitative Real-Time PCR (QRT-PCR) and ELISA technologies such
as the HRP-2 and DELI (pLDH) assays. These methodologies are very sensitive and avoid
the subjectivity of the WHO micro test assay. This thesis had two specific objectives; firstly
to determine the EC50 and MIC of chloroquine and mefloquine in isolates of P. falciparum.
Secondly, to compare the in vitro drug sensitivity of P. falciparum isolates and clones
collected using the standard WHO microtest, HRP-2 assay and QRT-PCR. The study was
conducted from September 2003 to February 2004 at Mae-Sod, Tak province. Thirty four
isolates of P. falciparum were selected from symptomatic malaria patients. A Blood RPMI
Media Mixture (BMM) containing the P. falciparum isolates were loaded onto 96 well plates
that were predosed with serial dilutions of chloroquine (1,062 ng/ml) and mefloquine(660
ng/ml). The plates containing the BBM were incubated in an oxygen reduced environment at
37oC for up to 72hrs. The growth of the parasites in the drug treatments was measured by
WHO micro test, QRT-PCR, HRP-2 ELISA and DELI ELISA assays. Of the 34
Plasmodium isolates in excess of 1,000 – 80,000 parasites/μl successfully assayed 100%
were resistant to chloroquine, with a median MIC of 330 ng/ml and mean EC50 of 168 ng/ml.
In contrast only 15% were resistant to mefloquine, with a median MIC of 133 ng/ml and
mean EC50 of 675 ng/ml. The comparison of the three in vitro drug sensitivity assays showed
no significant difference between the WHO micro test and QRT-PCR assay. Although the
HRP-2 assay performed poorly in the first set of experiments, increasing the volume of
BMM in subsequent experiments greatly improved the results from the ELISA bases assay.
Our study also showed that there is no significant difference between the sensitivity data
collected from P. falciparum using either the HRP-2 or DELI ELISA assays. However the
HRP-2 assay is quicker to use and is commercially available, thus eliminating the need to
quality assurance each batch of ELISA plates used. While the QRT-PCR method is both
accurate and precise, it is very expensive and skilled labor intensive, suggesting that this
technique is more suitable for reference laboratories and not routine testing of field isolates.
The WHO microtest and the HRP-2 are both useful assays and relatively inexpensive assays
for field malaria research in Thailand