Background Diagnostic techniques based on PCR for the detection of Plasmodium DNA can be highly sensitive and specific. The vast majority of these techniques rely, however, on the invasive sampling of blood from infected hosts. There is, currently, considerable interest in the possibility of using body fluids other than blood as sources of parasite DNA for PCR diagnosis. Methods Urine and faeces were obtained from a Plasmodium knowlesi infected-Japanese macaque ( Macaca fuscata ) over the course of an experimentally induced infection. P. knowlesi DNA ( Pk DNA) extracted from urine and faeces were monitored by nested PCR targeting the P. knowlesi specific cytochrome b ( cytb ) gene. Results Urinary Pk DNA was detected on day 2, but was not amplified using DNA templates extracted from the samples on day 4, day 5 and day 6. Subsequently, urinary Pk DNA was detected from day 7 until day 11, and from day 20 until day 30. Pk DNA in faeces was detected from day 7 until day 11, and from day 20 until day 37. Moreover, real-time quantitative PCR showed a remarkable increase in the amount of urinary Pk DNA following anti-malarial treatment. This might have been due to the release of a large amount of Pk DNA from the degraded parasites as a result of the anti-malarial treatment, leading to excretion of Pk DNA in the urine. Conclusions The cytb -PCR system using urine and faecal samples is of potential use in molecular epidemiological surveys of malaria. In particular, monkey faecal samples could be useful for the detection of zoonotic primate malaria in its natural hosts. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1475-2875-13-373) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
【저자키워드】 Urine, Faeces, Zoonotic malaria, Plasmodium knowlesi, Japanese macaque, Nested PCR, Cytochrome b, Chloroquine sulphate,