Abstract

As malaria continues to be a worldwide problem due to increasing drug resistance, several drug susceptibility techniques have been reported in the literature. A particularly confounding problem is the lack of standardization between methods that result in differences in sensitivities. In this review, we report on the types of antimalarial drug susceptibility assays available to clinical and research investigators. Techniques based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), fluorescence, molecular assays, and optical methods will be outlined. Strengths and weaknesses, as well as field applicability, will be discussed. Furthermore, assay and culture conditions, particularly for the fluorescence-based assays, will also be detailed.

Keywords: Antimalarials, drug susceptibility, ELISA, fluorescence, molecular assays, real-time polymerase chain reaction, optical imaging, Plasmodium