APOPO’s tuberculosis research agenda: achievements, challenges and prospects
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Date
2012-04
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
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Abstract
This article describes Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling (APOPO)
recent use of specially trained African giant pouched rats as detectors of pulmonary tuberculosis in
people living in Tanzania. It summarizes the achievements and challenges encountered over the years
and outlines future prospects. Since 2008, second-line screening by the rats has identified more than
2000 tuberculosis-positive patients who were missed by microscopy at Direct Observation of
Treatment – Short Course centres in Tanzania. Moreover, data that are reviewed herein have been
collected with respect to the rats’ sensitivity and specificity in detecting tuberculosis. Findings
strongly suggest that scent-detecting rats offer a quick and practical tool for detecting pulmonary
tuberculosis and within the year APOPO’s tuberculosis-detection project will be extended to
Mozambique. As part of its local capacity building effort, APOPO hires and trains Tanzanians to play
many important roles in its TB detection project and provides research and training opportunities for
Tanzanian students.
Description
Tanzania Journal of Health Research 2012 : 4(2).
Keywords
Tuberculosis detection, Sniffer rats, Cricetomys gambianus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis