Downregulation of plasma miR-451 and miR-16 in Plasmodium vivax infection.

Malaria is a common parasitic disease in tropical countries, causing one to two million deaths every year. To establish the new biomarker, we analyzed plasma miRNAs obtained from 19 malaria patients and 19 normal subjects, using reverse transcription-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The average levels of plasma miR-451 and miR-16 were significantly lower in malaria patients, (8.9-fold; p <0.001 and 10.4-fold; p = 0.01, respectively). The levels of other abundant miRNAs in plasma (miR-223, miR-226-3p) did not change significantly in malaria patients. Our data suggest that plasma miR-451 and miR-16 are relevant biomarkers for malaria infection.