Towards noninvasive diagnosis of malaria

项目总结 恶性疟原虫是最致命的疟疾，造成近100万人死亡。 每年一次。目前还没有完美的测试来检测一个人是否患有疟疾。这是因为所有可用的测试 都有挑战，都是基于对血液样本的检测。我们已经确定了挥发性有机化合物 是由疟疾寄生虫在培养过程中产生的。在最近在马萨诸塞州利隆圭进行的一项试点研究中- Lawi，我们发现类似的化合物也存在于患有简单假音的儿童的呼吸中- 帕鲁姆疟疾。我们还观察到疟疾儿童呼吸特征的全球变化。目标 这项提议的目的是确定疟疾的候选生物标记物，长期目标是开发一种新的非 诊断临床疟疾感染的侵入性试验。我们强劲的初步数据表明， 这一战略将是成功的，我们的目标将通过两个具体目标来实现：1)确定可重复性 在一个独立的地点，呼吸成分的变化，以应对疟疾感染。2)关联 呼吸随寄生虫发育阶段的不同而变化。我们的方法是创新的，因为我们会自然地注册 田野里受感染的儿童。儿童的寄生虫和配子体密度最高。建议的重行- 搜索工作意义重大，因为我们将在开发新的、急需的疟疾诊断工具方面取得进展 这将不会依赖于血液样本。

PROJECT SUMMARY Plasmodium falciparum causes the deadliest form of malaria, which is responsible for nearly one million deaths annually. There is currently no perfect test to detect if a person has malaria. This is because all available tests have challenges and are all based on testing a blood sample. We have identified volatile organic compounds that are produced by the malaria parasite in culture. In a recent pilot study that was conducted in Lilongwe, Ma- lawi, we found that similar compounds are also present in the breath of children who have uncomplicated falci- parum malaria. We also observed a global change in the breath profile of children with malaria. The objectives of this proposal are to identify candidate biomarkers of malaria, with the long-term goal to develop a new non- invasive test to diagnose clinical malaria infection. Supported by our strong preliminary data that indicate that this strategy will be successful, our objectives will be met through two specific aims: 1) determine reproducible changes in the breath composition in response to malaria infection, in an independent location. 2) Relate breath changes with parasite development stages. Our approach is innovative, since we will enroll naturally infected children in the field. Children harbor the highest parasite and gametocyte densities. The proposed re- search is significant, because we will progress in development of new, much-needed malaria diagnostic tool that will not rely on blood samples.