African centre of excellence for innovative rodent pest management and biosensor technology development (ACE IRPM and BTD- Rat-Tech)
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Date
2016-10
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Abstract
Rodents are some of the most serious mammalian pests the world over. However, their
economic and social impact is not quantified in Sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, while
some of the zoonotic diseases attributed to rodents such as Lassa fever and bubonic plague
are endemic in rural Africa, occasionally leading to serious outbreaks, more often than
not, rodent-borne diseases are not recognized, and hence are inadequately managed.
The African Centre of Excellence (ACE) in Innovative Rodent Pest Management and
Biosensor Technology Development (IRPM and BTD) will enhance scientific knowledge,
Technology and Innovation (STI) on Rodent Pest Management in Africa. The IRPM and
BTD activities will incorporate biosensor technology using trained rats for land mine
detection and support their operational deployment to complement existing technologies to
free mine afflicted lands in Africa and elsewhere and release these for safe use by humans
(settlement, agriculture, mining, livestock, etc.). Novel diagnostic approaches are a key
component to tackling Tuberculosis epidemic, yet in resource-limited settings in Africa, the
latest advanced diagnostic technologies are lacking. Trained rats are efficient and reliable
TB diagnostic biosensor technology. The ACE for IRPM and BTD will build capacity
through training at the MSc and PhD levels in rodent taxonomy, ecology, innovative STI
in rodent management and biosensor technology. IRPM and BTD will establish basic and
applied research programs for African scientists to pursue high-impact projects in rodent
management, understanding the impact of zoonotic diseases on communities and their
mitigation, and how best to use biosensor technology for detecting landmines and diagnosis
of diseases. A minimum of 60 Master of Science and 32 PhD students will be trained and
faculty exchange between regional higher education institutions will be supported. Short
courses will be conducted focusing on dissemination of sustainable STI solutions to rodent
problems in Africa. Research will be focused to solve regional rodent problems that impact
on rural communities in Africa.
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Keywords
Sokoine, Biosensor technology, Rodent management, Zoonotic diseases