Application of a real-time PCR method for detecting and monitoring hookworm Necator americanus infections in Southern China.

OBJECTIVE To develop a quantitative PCR method for detecting hookworm infection and quantification. METHODS A real-time PCR method was designed based on the intergenic region II of ribosomal DNA of the hookworm Necator americanus. The detection limit of this method was compared with the microscopy-based Kato-Katz method. The real-time PCR method was used to conduct an epidemiological survey of hookworm infection in southern Fujian Province of China. RESULTS The real-time PCR method was specific for detecting Necator americanus infection, and was more sensitive than conventional PCR or microscopy-based method. A preliminary survey for hookworm infection in villages of Fujian Province confirmed the high prevalence of hookworm infections in the resident populations. In addition, the infection rate in women was significantly higher than that of in men. CONCLUSIONS A real-time PCR method is designed, which has increased detection sensitivity for more accurate epidemiological studies of hookworm infections, especially when intensity of the infection needs to be considered.