Assessment of a Commercial Real-Time PCR Assay (Vitassay qPCR Malaria 5 Test) to Detect Human Malaria Infection in Travelers Returning to France

Malaria is the most common human parasitic disease in the world with the highest morbidity and mortality. Due to the severity of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum and the urgency of therapeutic management, quick and reliable diagnosis is required for early detection. Blood smear microscopy remains the gold standard for malaria diagnosis. Molecular diagnosis techniques are the most sensitive and specific in cases of low parasitaemia and in the detection of mixed infections. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new commercial test involving the molecular diagnostic technique to detect the five human Plasmodium species. The Vitassay qPCR Malaria 5 test is based on the multiplex real-time PCR of a conserved target region of the 18S rRNA gene for the five human Plasmodium species. A total of 190 samples collected from imported cases of malaria were diagnosed using this test and compared against a homemade reference real-time PCR. The sensitivities of the Vitassay qPCR Malaria 5 test for all Plasmodium species ranged from 93.8% to 100% and specificity ranged from 97.7% to 100%. Based on these criteria, this test is recommended for the diagnosis of the human Plasmodium species.