Short report: using giant African pouched rats to detect tuberculosis in human sputum samples: 2009 finding
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The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygien
Abstract
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American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 83 (6)), 2010: 1308-1310
In 2009, giant African pouched rats trained to detect tuberculosis (TB) evaluated sputum samples from 10,523 patients whose sputum had previously been evaluated by smear microscopy. Microscopists found 13.3% of the patients to be TB-positive. Simulated second-line screening by the rats revealed 620 new TB-positive patients, increasing the case detection rate by 44%. These data suggest that the rats may be useful for TB detection in developing countries, although further research is needed.
In 2009, giant African pouched rats trained to detect tuberculosis (TB) evaluated sputum samples from 10,523 patients whose sputum had previously been evaluated by smear microscopy. Microscopists found 13.3% of the patients to be TB-positive. Simulated second-line screening by the rats revealed 620 new TB-positive patients, increasing the case detection rate by 44%. These data suggest that the rats may be useful for TB detection in developing countries, although further research is needed.
Keywords
Giant African Pouched, Rats, Human Sputum Samples, detect tuberculosis, Smear microscopy