Table 1.

Characteristics of the different molecular diagnostic techniques used to detect malaria parasites.

Assay	Limit of Detection (Parasites/µL)	Throughput	Cost/Sample Excluding Labor and Equipment (USD)	Advantages	Disadvantages	Reference
Nested PCR	1	moderate	<10	Requires simple and cheap thermocycler Can be performed with low amount of DNA (e.g., from dried blood spots)	Moderately sensitive Requires good laboratory infrastructure and well-trained staff	[42]
qPCR (high blood volume)	0.022	high	<10	Highly sensitive	Requires high blood volume Requires good laboratory infrastructure and well-trained staff	[34]
qPCR (low blood volume or dried blood spots)	0.15	high	<10	Highly sensitive Can be performed with low amount of DNA (e.g., from dried blood spots)	Requires good laboratory infrastructure and well-trained staff	[33]
qRT-PCR	0.002	high	<20	Highly sensitive Can be performed with low amount of DNA (e.g., from dried blood spots) Can detect and quantify gametocytes	Difficult to work with RNA Requires good laboratory infrastructure and well-trained staff	[14]
LAMP	1 to 5	moderate	<3	Cheap Does not require laboratory infrastructure and well-trained staff Can be performed with low of DNA (e.g., from dried blood spots) or directly from blood sample Fast	Moderately sensitive Limited throughput	[31]
QT NASBA	<1	high		Can be performed with low amount of DNA (e.g., from dried blood spots) Can detect and quantify gametocytes	Not as robust as qRT-PCR	[43]