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The simplified isotopic microtest: a method for studying the susceptibility in vitro of Plasmodium falciparum to antimalarial drugs |
Cahiers d'études et de recherches francophones / Santé . Volume 10, Number 5, 353-6, Septembre - Octobre 2000, Mise au point méthodologique
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 Résumé
Article gratuit
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Author(s) : H. Tinto, J.B. Ouédraogo, S.O. Coulibaly, B. Traoré, T.R. Guiguemdé |
Summary : We evaluated the efficiency of the simplified version of the isotopic microtest (simplified test) and compared it to that of the complete version (standard test), for determining the susceptibility of local strains of Plasmodium falciparum to chloroquine, quinine, mefloquine and halofantrine. The study was carried out from July to November 1996, at the MURAZ Center, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. The inclusion criteria were: single infection with P. falciparum, with a parasite count of at least 4,000 infected red blood cells per mm3. Susceptibility to each drug was determined after incubation for 48 hours at 37° C, in 5% CO2/95% air. Hypoxanthine (3H) was added to the medium to monitor parasite growth. Previous studies with the isotopic microtest defined threshold values for each of the antimalarial drugs tested. The simplified test involved measuring parasite growth at a single drug concentration, in triplicate, using 50 µl per well. We found no significant difference (Chi2 test) between the two techniques in terms of the response of P. falciparum to antimalarial drugs. All isolates tested were susceptible to quinine (n=128) and mefloquine (n=129) in both types of microtest. There was a 2.9% difference between the results of the standard and simplified tests. We found no significant increase in the prevalence of chloroquine-resistant strains of P. falciparum in the study area. This simplified test had high diagnostic value (sensitivity, specificity and kappa) and may be used for the monitoring in vitro of Plasmodium falciparum susceptibility in countries in which malaria is endemic. |
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