Cargando…

Using giant african pouched rats to detect human tuberculosis: a review

Despite its characteristically low sensitivity, sputum smear microscopy remains the standard for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) in resource-poor countries. In an attempt to develop an alternative or adjunct to microscopy, researchers have recently examined the ability of pouched rats to detect TB-posi...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Poling, Alan, Mahoney, Amanda, Beyene, Negussie, Mgode, Georgies, Weetjens, Bart, Cox, Christophe, Durgin, Amy
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: The African Field Epidemiology Network 2015
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4634033/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26587178
http://dx.doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2015.21.333.2977
Descripción
Sumario:Despite its characteristically low sensitivity, sputum smear microscopy remains the standard for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) in resource-poor countries. In an attempt to develop an alternative or adjunct to microscopy, researchers have recently examined the ability of pouched rats to detect TB-positive human sputum samples and the microbiological variables that affect their detection. Ten published studies, reviewed herein, suggest that the rats are able to detect the specific odor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes TB, and can substantially increase new-case detections when used for second-line TB screening following microscopy. Further research is needed to ascertain the rats’ ability to detect TB in children and in HIV-positive patients, to detect TB when used for first-line screening, and to be useful in broad-scale applications where cost-effectiveness is a major consideration.