Analytical sensitivity of loopamp and quantitative real-time PCR on dried blood spots and their potential role in monitoring human African trypanosomiasis elimination.
Exp Parasitol
; 219: 108014, 2020 Dec.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33011238
ABSTRACT
The objective set by WHO to reach elimination of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) as a public health problem by 2020 is being achieved. The next target is the interruption of gambiense-HAT transmission in humans by 2030. To monitor progress towards this target, in areas where specialized local HAT control capacities will disappear, is a major challenge. Test specimens should be easily collectable and safely transportable such as dried blood spots (DBS). Monitoring tests performed in regional reference centres should be reliable, cheap and allow analysis of large numbers of specimens in a high-throughput format. The aim of this study was to assess the analytical sensitivity of Loopamp, M18S quantitative real-time PCR (M18S qPCR) and TgsGP qPCR as molecular diagnostic tests for the presence of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense in DBS. The sensitivity of the Loopamp test, with a detection limit of 100 trypanosomes/mL, was in the range of parasitaemias commonly observed in HAT patients, while detection limits for M18S and TgsGP qPCR were respectively 1000 and 10,000 trypanosomes/mL. None of the tests was entirely suitable for high-throughput use and further development and implementation of sensitive high-throughput molecular tools for monitoring HAT elimination are needed.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Trypanosoma brucei gambiense
/
Trypanosomiasis, African
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Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques
/
Molecular Diagnostic Techniques
/
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Exp Parasitol
Year:
2020
Document type:
Article