In 2020, there were 241 million estimated cases and 627,000 deaths. However, despite significant investment and robust national anti-malaria programmes, malaria remains endemic in over 85 countries and territories. Over the past decade, substantial progress has been made to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality. ConclusionsĪt-home DBS collection is a feasible, acceptable, and robust method to obtain blood to evaluate the natural history of low-density Plasmodium infections by qRT-PCR. Correlation between Plasmodium falciparum 18S rRNA from paired whole blood and DBS was high (R = 0.93). At-home collected DBS were acceptable for qRT-PCR and showed less than a one qRT-PCR cycle threshold shift in the human control mRNA compared to clinic-collected DBS. The procedure was well tolerated and viewed favourably by participants. Overall, 96% of participants collected ≥ 16 of 24 at-home DBS, and 87% of DBS contained ≥ 40 µL of blood. Three individuals withdrew due to pain or inconvenience of procedures. One-hundred two adults and 29 children were enrolled, and 95 and 26 completed the study, respectively. clinic-collected DBS and venous blood to assess quality and accuracy of at-home collected samples. The human internal control mRNA and Plasmodium 18S rRNA were evaluated for at-home vs. The number of participants completing the study, total DBS collected, and opinions of the process were analysed to determine compliance and acceptability. Venous blood and DBS were analysed by Plasmodium 18S rRNA qRT-PCR. Opinions about the collection process were solicited using daily Diary Cards and a Likert scale survey at the final study visit.
Participants were trained in DBS collection and asked to collect six DBS weekly between clinic visits. Venous blood samples and clinic-collected DBS were taken at enrollment and at four weekly clinic visits.
Rapid diagnostic test (RDT)-negative individuals in Katakwi District, northeastern Uganda, were recruited between April and May 2021. Here, the feasibility and acceptability of daily at-home DBS collections for qRT-PCR was studied to better understand low-density infections. Self-collected dried blood spots (DBS) analysed using pooled and individual quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) provide such a solution. Simple, cost-effective methods are needed to study the natural history of asymptomatic submicroscopic parasitaemia. These infections threaten control efforts and may impact vaccine and therapeutic drug studies. Many Plasmodium infections in endemic regions exist at densities below the limit of detection of standard diagnostic tools.
0 kommentar(er)
