Abstract
The incidence of zoonotic malaria, Plasmodium knowlesi, infection is increasing and now is the major cause of malaria in Malaysia. Here, we describe a WarmStart colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the detection of Plasmodium spp. The detection limit for this assay was 10 copies/µL for P knowlesi and Plasmodium ovale and 1 copy/µL for Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, and Plasmodium malariae. To test clinical sensitivity and specificity, 100 microscopy-positive and 20 malaria-negative samples were used. The WarmStart colorimetric LAMP was 98% sensitive and 100% specific. Amplification products were visible for direct observation, thereby eliminating the need for post-amplification processing steps. Therefore, WarmStart colorimetric LAMP is suitable for use in resource-limited settings.