Polymerase chain reaction detection of Plasmodium falciparum in mosquitoes.

ABSTRACT

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure using a primer set derived from a repetitive deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequence specific to Plasmodium falciparum was used to detect parasite DNA in mosquitoes. In laboratory-infected mosquitoes, PCR could detect as few as 10 sporozoites in a dissected salivary gland and a single oocyst in a dissected midgut. The ability to detect P. falciparum DNA in wild-caught mosquitoes indicated an advantage of the PCR over enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of Plasmodium sporozoites in mosquitoes with low-grade parasite infections.