Schallig Henk D F H, Oskam Linda
Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen (KIT), Biomedical Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Trop Med Int Health. 2002 Aug;7(8):641-51. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-3156.2002.00911.x.
Molecular biology is increasingly relevant to the diagnosis and control of infectious diseases. Information on DNA sequences has been extensively exploited for the development of polymerase chain reaction-based assays for the diagnosis of leishmaniasis and the identification of parasite species. It has also led to the use of cloned antigen for serodiagnosis. It is expected that the sequencing of the Leishmania major genome and the genomes of other Leishmania species will enable important progress in further improving diagnosis and control. The ability to use genome data to clone and sequence genes, which, when expressed, provide antigens for vaccine development, will increase the possibilities for rational vaccine development. Moreover, DNA on its own will provide the basis for the development of DNA vaccines that may overcome some of the problems encountered with protein-based vaccines. One of the greatest threats to parasite control is the development of drug resistance in parasites. Knowing the molecular basis of drug resistance and the ability to monitor its development with sensitive and specific DNA-based assays for 'resistance alleles' may aid maintaining the effectiveness of available anti-Leishmania drugs. Finally, techniques such as microarrays and nucleic acid sequence-based amplification will eventually allow rapid screening for specific parasite genotypes and assist in diagnostic and epidemiological studies.
分子生物学在传染病的诊断和控制方面的相关性日益增强。DNA序列信息已被广泛用于开发基于聚合酶链反应的检测方法，以诊断利什曼病和鉴定寄生虫种类。它还导致了克隆抗原在血清学诊断中的应用。预计大利什曼原虫基因组和其他利什曼原虫物种基因组的测序将在进一步改善诊断和控制方面取得重要进展。利用基因组数据克隆和测序基因的能力，这些基因在表达时可为疫苗开发提供抗原，将增加合理开发疫苗的可能性。此外，DNA本身将为开发DNA疫苗提供基础，这种疫苗可能克服基于蛋白质的疫苗所遇到的一些问题。寄生虫控制面临的最大威胁之一是寄生虫产生耐药性。了解耐药性的分子基础以及利用针对“耐药等位基因”的灵敏且特异的基于DNA的检测方法监测其发展的能力，可能有助于维持现有抗利什曼原虫药物的有效性。最后，诸如微阵列和基于核酸序列的扩增等技术最终将允许快速筛选特定的寄生虫基因型，并协助进行诊断和流行病学研究。
