Identification and quantification of rodent malaria strains and species using gene probes

A DNA probe PCsv4 and a subclone thereof PCsv4.1, hybridize specifically to rodent malaria DNA. DNA purified from a small volume (10 microliters) of infected mouse blood was used to determine the composition of the parasite population present. The hybridization signal following PCsv4 probing of slot-blotted DNA correlated directly with parasitaemia. The hybridization pattern and intensity, resulting from probing restriction enzyme digested and Southern-blotted genomic DNA, determined the identity of the infecting parasite line(s), and provided a semi-quantitative measure of parasite burden. Fifteen parasite lines representative of all four Plasmodium species infecting rodents can be differentiated in this way.