BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION MALARIA RESEARCH PROJECT

UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN AFRICA, BARATON

 TITLE:  MALARIA DIAGNOSIS USING IRON AND PLASMA

ABSTRACT
This research investigates the diagnosis of malaria using a new technique that has never been tried before. It is based on the principle that the histidine-rich protein(HRP2) of Plasmodium sp. consists of an imidazole ring that can react with some metals and other chemicals . This imidazole ring forms complexes with metal ions, Mg2+, Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+, Mn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+ Zn2+ or Cd2+ (M2+) and Fe2+. When this happens, imidazole-type ligands are formed. Fe2+complexes with imidazole can produce a viable method of detecting the presence of histidine in blood samples due to its stability in pH between 7.2 to 7.6. The formation of Fe-imidazole complex (or another metal complex) leads to a change in color from yellow to reddish brown to violet can be visually detected. The reaction depends on the concentration of imidazole(hence histidine) and the ion added. The intensity of the color formed will be matched with disease severity and categorized as negative, low positive and high positive. All blood samples will be subjected to microscopy and results recorded before the kit is used. Sensitivity and specificity results will be determined. The relative specificity and relative sensitivity will be calculated using a 95% confidence interval (98.5-100%). This study will be conducted in selected parts of Nandi District.

This study has been funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through its Grand Challenges Exploration initiative.