Use of molecular beacons to detect an antifolate resistance-associated mutation in Plasmodium falciparum.

A PCR-based technique using new fluorescent probes, called molecular beacons, was developed to detect the antifolate resistance-associated S108N point mutation in Plasmodium falciparum. One hundred African clinical isolates were tested by the new method in comparison with the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. This new molecular technique appears to be a promising tool for epidemiological studies.