Using giant african pouched rats to detect human tuberculosis: a review
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Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
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Abstract
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 costeffectiveness
is a major consideration.
Description
The Pan African Medical Journal, 2015
Keywords
African pouched rats, Human tuberculosis:, Diagnosing tuberculosis, Giant african pouched