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. 2023 Mar 21;13(1):1-3.
doi: 10.5588/pha.22.0059.

The use of rats to detect drug-resistant TB

N Beyene  1   2   3 , A L Sitotaw  1 , E G Telila  1 , H A Gebre  1 , N B Alemu  1 , R Burny  2   4 , C Cox  2   3 , J Soka  2   5 , B Tegegn  6 , L Wassie  7 , K Bobosha  7 , T Agizew  1   2   3
Affiliations

The use of rats to detect drug-resistant TB

N Beyene et al. Public Health Action. .

Abstract
in English, French

Although detection of drug-susceptible TB by Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling-trained African giant pouched rats has been known for more than a decade, the detection of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) using rats has never been explored before. We present what we believe to be the first report on rifampicin-resistant TB (RR-TB) detected using Xpert® MTB/RIF Ultra, comparably identified by rats sniffing sputum samples from presumptive TB patients: 88% of RR-TB detected using Ultra were identified by the rats. Further evaluation of the usefulness of rats for large-scale DR-TB contact triage testing is needed, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where resources are limited.

Bien que la détection de la TB pharmacosensible par des rats géants de Gambie dressés par APOPO (Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling) soit connue depuis plus d’une décennie, la détection de la TB pharmacorésistante (DR-TB) à l’aide de rats n’a jamais été explorée auparavant. Nous présentons ce que nous pensons être le premier rapport sur la TB résistante à la rifampicine (RR-TB) détectée par test Xpert® MTB/RIF Ultra, identifiée de manière comparable par des rats reniflant des échantillons d’expectorations de patients avec une TB présumée : 88% des RR-TB détectées par test Ultra ont été identifiées par les rats. L’évaluation de l’utilité des rats dans le cadre de tests de triage des contacts de cas de DR-TB à grande échelle doit être poursuivie, en particulier dans les pays à revenu faible ou intermédiaire, où les ressources sont limitées.

Keywords: African giant pouched rats; TB detection; Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra; rifampicin resistance; tuberculosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: none declared.

Figures

FIGURE.
FIGURE.
APOPO TB detection model using rats. Source: APOPO Annual Report, 2021. APOPO = Anti-Persoonsmijnen Ontmijnende Product Ontwikkeling.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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