Grand Challenges Canada is funded by the Government of Canada and is dedicated to supporting Bold Ideas with Big Impact in global health.”  

One rapid test for Three Forms of Trypanosomiasis

Meru University of Science and Technology has been awarded a grant by Grand Challenge Canada to develop a simple but novel test that will enable rapid detection of parasites that cause human and animal trypanosomiasis. The project principal investigator Dr. Zablon Njiru explained that there are three forms of trypanosomiasis namely (i) Human African Trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness which is endemic in 36 Africa countries and transmitted by tsetse flies, (ii) Chaga’s disease which is endemic in 21 Latin American countries and transmitted by reduviid bug and through blood transfusion, and (iii) the animal form of disease which is present in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Middle East and is spread by both tsetse flies and biting flies.

The lack of effective diagnostic tests for trypanosomiasis makes it difficult to detect disease cases in the field. This puts over 50 million people at risks in sub-Saharan Africa, 50-90 million in Latin America and contributes to over $7.5 billion losses in animal production in endemic areas. This project seeks to develop a simple, universal and field applicable diagnostic test that will enable rapid detection of all pathogenic trypanosomes in vectors, animals and human.

Dr. Njiru who is collaborating with Prof Gitonga Mburugu said the criteria for a “simple diagnostic test” is that it should be affordable, sensitive, specific, user-friendly (simple to perform in a few steps with minimal training), robust (able to detect the target marker from partially and/ or non-processed samples) and rapid (results available within an hour), equipment-free and deliverable to the end user. It is a challenge to develop a diagnostic test that meets these performance criteria for resource-poor endemic areas. However, the need to make a positive impact in the control of infectious disease control in sub-Saharan Africa calls for innovative technologies that will move the diagnostic technology from the conventional laboratory to the rural endemic set-ups. Development of such technology has now become a possibility with support from funding agencies such as Grand Challenges Canada which is funded by the Government of Canada, Dr Njiru said.