MAITRI SHUKLA, PREETI SHARMA, R. RAVISHANKARAN AND DIGANTA BARMAN
Surat Raktdan Kendra and Research Center, Udhana, Magdalla Road, Surat-395 002 (Gujarat), India
*(e-mail: maitridshukla@gmail.com; Mobile: 96388 83375)
(Received: October 10, 2025; Accepted: November 14, 2025)
ABSTRACT
Malaria diagnostics alternately require tools that are highly sensitive, species-specific, and operationally
practical, particularly in resource-limited settings. In this study, the development and characterization
of novel monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting native Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH), a key
glycolytic enzyme was expressed during active infection. BALB/c mice immunized with purified native
pLDH generated moderate-titer antisera (e+1:6400), leading to the selection of six hybridoma clones
secreting IgG1/IgG2b mAbs with no cross-reactivity to human LDH. Epitope binning identified two non-
overlapping mAbs, 3D3C4 and 3G10G9, which were integrated into a sandwich ELISA with a limit of
detection of 0.078 µg/ml. Clinical evaluation using 54 Plasmodium falciparum positive samples and 281
endemic controls demonstrated 100% sensitivity and 99.6% specificity. This pLDH-targeted ELISA
addressed critical limitations in current malaria diagnostics by enabling accurate detection of active P.
falciparum infections and offering potential for therapeutic monitoring. Its compatibility with molecular
methods and adaptability to point-of-care platforms make it a promising tool for malaria elimination
initiatives. Ongoing work aims at expanding species specificity and validating performance across diverse
endemic settings.
Key words: Malaria screening, antibody production, plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase (pldh), monoclonal ant ibodies