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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Detection of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum using colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification from dried blood spots collected in active and passive malaria surveillance in the Peruvian Amazon

  • Oscar Nolasco1,2
  • Joaquín Gómez3
  • Hugo Rodríguez-Ferrucci4
  • Dionicia Gamboa1,5
  • Christopher Delgado-Ratto3
5 affiliations
  1. 1Laboratorio de Malaria: Parásitos y Vectores, Laboratorios de Investigación y Desarrollo, Facultad de Ciencias e Ingeniería, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
  2. 2Comunidad de conocimiento GIBBS-UNFV, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemática, Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal, Lima, Peru
  3. 3Malaria Research Group (MaRch), Global Health Institute, Family Medicine and Population Health Department, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
  4. 4Facultad de Medicina Humana, Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana (UNAP), Iquitos, Loreto, Peru
  5. 5Departamento de Ciencias Celulares y Moleculares, Facultad de Ciencias e Ingeniería, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
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Abstract

Background: As malaria transmission declines in regions approaching elimination, highly sensitive diagnostic tools are needed to detect low-density infections, particularly in active and passive surveillance settings. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a promising molecular alternative to conventional diagnostics. This study evaluated the performance of a colorimetric LAMP (cLAMP) assay for detecting Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum from dried blood spots (DBS) in the Peruvian Amazon. Methodology/Principal findings: The cLAMP assay was applied to DNA extracted from DBS collected through active case detection (ACD; n = 574) and passive case detection (PCD; n = 431). Two extraction methods were compared: mini spin column (MSC DNA) and a boil-and-spin (BS DNA) method. Diagnostic performance was evaluated against microscopy and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Conclusions/Significance: cLAMP improved the detection of malaria infections from DBS compared with microscopy when combined with column-based DNA extraction in active surveillance activities. While the boil-and-spin method showed performance comparable to microscopy, column-based extraction substantially increased sensitivity, especially for low-density infections identified through active surveillance. These findings support cLAMP as a practical and sensitive complementary tool for malaria surveillance in low-transmission and elimination settings. Author summary: Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum are the main causes of malaria in the Peruvian Amazon. Diagnosis in these areas relies mainly on microscopy and rapid tests, which are widely used but can miss infections when parasite levels are low. This is especially important in remote communities, where access to well-equipped laboratories and highly trained staff is limited. As countries move toward eliminating malaria, it becomes essential to detect even low-level and asymptomatic infections that can sustain transmission. This requires more sensitive tools that can be used in hard-to-reach settings. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a molecular method that can detect infections at lower levels than routine tests while remaining relatively simple to use. In this study, we evaluated a colorimetric LAMP (cLAMP) test using dried blood spots collected in the Peruvian Amazon and analysed in a laboratory in Lima. We found that cLAMP detected more infections than microscopy, particularly those with low parasite levels. Because dried blood spots are easy to collect, store, and transport, this approach could help improve malaria surveillance and support national efforts to eliminate the disease, especially in remote endemic regions.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{nolasco2026detection,
  title = {{Detection of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum using colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification from dried blood spots collected in active and passive malaria surveillance in the Peruvian Amazon}},
  author = {Oscar Nolasco and Joaquín Gómez and Hugo Rodríguez-Ferrucci and Dionicia Gamboa and Christopher Delgado-Ratto},
  journal = {PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1371/journal.pntd.0014366},
  url = {https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014366},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Detection of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum using colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification from dried blood spots collected in active and passive malaria surveillance in the Peruvian Amazon
AU  - Oscar Nolasco
AU  - Joaquín Gómez
AU  - Hugo Rodríguez-Ferrucci
AU  - Dionicia Gamboa
AU  - Christopher Delgado-Ratto
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/13
JO  - PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pntd.0014366
UR  - https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0014366
AB  - Background: As malaria transmission declines in regions approaching elimination, highly sensitive diagnostic tools are needed to detect low-density infections, particularly in active and passive surveillance settings. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a promising molecular alternative to conventional diagnostics. This study evaluated the performance of a colorimetric LAMP (cLAMP) assay for detecting Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum from dried blood spots (DBS) in the Peruvian Amazon. Methodology/Principal findings: The cLAMP assay was applied to DNA extracted from DBS collected through active case detection (ACD; n = 574) and passive case detection (PCD; n = 431). Two extraction methods were compared: mini spin column (MSC DNA) and a boil-and-spin (BS DNA) method. Diagnostic performance was evaluated against microscopy and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Conclusions/Significance: cLAMP improved the detection of malaria infections from DBS compared with microscopy when combined with column-based DNA extraction in active surveillance activities. While the boil-and-spin method showed performance comparable to microscopy, column-based extraction substantially increased sensitivity, especially for low-density infections identified through active surveillance. These findings support cLAMP as a practical and sensitive complementary tool for malaria surveillance in low-transmission and elimination settings. Author summary: Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum are the main causes of malaria in the Peruvian Amazon. Diagnosis in these areas relies mainly on microscopy and rapid tests, which are widely used but can miss infections when parasite levels are low. This is especially important in remote communities, where access to well-equipped laboratories and highly trained staff is limited. As countries move toward eliminating malaria, it becomes essential to detect even low-level and asymptomatic infections that can sustain transmission. This requires more sensitive tools that can be used in hard-to-reach settings. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a molecular method that can detect infections at lower levels than routine tests while remaining relatively simple to use. In this study, we evaluated a colorimetric LAMP (cLAMP) test using dried blood spots collected in the Peruvian Amazon and analysed in a laboratory in Lima. We found that cLAMP detected more infections than microscopy, particularly those with low parasite levels. Because dried blood spots are easy to collect, store, and transport, this approach could help improve malaria surveillance and support national efforts to eliminate the disease, especially in remote endemic regions.
SN  - 1935-2735
SN  - 1935-2727
ER  -