Antibody-free rapid diagnosis of malaria in whole blood with surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy using Nanostructured Gold Substrate
Authors: Ho-Pui Ho
Siu-Kai Kong
Wei Wang
Qian Wang
Pin Yi
Jian-An He
Rui-Ling Dong
Jacky Loo
Wen Wang
Dayong Gu
Journal: Advances in Medical Sciences (2020)
Discipline: CLINICAL MEDICINE
Keywords: Gold nano-structure; Hemozoin; Malaria; Plasmodium falciparum; Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy.
Affiliations: Laboratory Medicine Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China., Shenzhen International Travel Health Care Center and Shenzhen Academy of Inspection and Quarantine, Shenzhen Customs District, Shenzhen, China., Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shenzhen Second People's Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China., Biochemistry Programme, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region., Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region., Biochemistry Programme, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Electronic address: ., Laboratory Medicine Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: ., Laboratory Medicine Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.

Abstract:  Purpose: The aim of this study is to establish a rapid antibody-free diagnostic method of malaria infection with Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax in whole blood with Surface-enhanced Raman Spectroscopy using Nanostructured Gold Substrate. Materials and methods: The blood samples collected from patients were first lysed and centrifuged before dropping on the gold nano-structure (AuNS) substrate. Malaria diagnosis was performed by detecting Raman peaks from Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) with a 532 nm laser excitation. Results: Raman peaks at 1370 cm-1, 1570 cm-1, and 1627 cm-1, known to have high specificity against interference from other mosquito-borne diseases such as Dengue and West Nile virus infection, were selected as the fingerprint markers associated with P. falciparum and P. vivax infection. The limit of detection was 10-5 dilution, corresponding to the concentration of parasitized blood cells of 100/mL. A total number of 25 clinical samples, including 5 from patients with P. falciparum infection, 10 with P. vivax infection and 10 from healthy volunteers, were evaluated to support its clinical practical use. The whole assay on malaria detection took 30 min to complete. Conclusions: While the samples analyzed in this work have strong clinical relevance, we have clearly demonstrated that sensitive malaria detection using AuNS-SERS is a practical direction for rapid in-field diagnosis of malaria infection. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 Figure 4C unexpectedly appears to have 2 identical spectra; outlined with cyan boxes. Readers on social media share my concern. *** ![file] , 
 In 4A there is also two spectra that are oddly similars (only difference showed in red). Flagged by another reader on social media. *** ![file] ,