Sensitive Test Developed for Sleeping Sickness
|
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 05 Jun 2012 |
|
Image: Trypanosoma brucei ssp. in human blood (Photo courtesy of US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Proteins imitating typical parts of the sleeping sickness parasite can be used in more efficient diagnostic tests, without the need for culturing dangerous parasites.
In the regions where Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, the causative agent of sleeping sickness is found, medical workers for decades already use a rapid diagnostic test, to screen millions of people each year on the presence of antibodies in their blood.
A scientist at the Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine (Belgium) has developed a new and better test by trying to synthesize artificial targets. These 'mimotopes' mimic only a part of the original target protein, but still are sufficient to react with the patient's antibodies. The investigator produced mimotopes that are reliable and react with infected patients' serum. These mimotopes now can be the base for a new generation of rapid diagnostic tests for sleeping sickness.
In the original tests the antibodies are demonstrated by presenting them targets they will also recognize and attack on real trypanosomes such as the variable surface glycoprotein that cover the parasite as a mantle. When antibody and target react, the test is positive and is made visible by for instance a color change or a clotting. Today those targets are obtained from living parasites that are raised in laboratory animals, and are a constant danger for the laboratory technicians.
In an early stage, the disease is easy to treat, but once the brain is invaded, the treatment becomes more complex and physicians must use medicines with dangerous, even deadly, side effects. Therefore, it is important to detect the infection early. Patients become disoriented, their sleeping pattern disintegrates, and they get motor and mental problems. This inevitably leads to coma and death. According to the World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland) estimates, sleeping sickness claims 10,000 to 20,000 lives each year. In recent years, the number of cases has come down substantially, thanks to campaigns against the disease, so error margins that were acceptable in the old days, because the tests still saved so many lives, now become inadmissible.
Related Links:
Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine
World Health Organization
In the regions where Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, the causative agent of sleeping sickness is found, medical workers for decades already use a rapid diagnostic test, to screen millions of people each year on the presence of antibodies in their blood.
A scientist at the Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine (Belgium) has developed a new and better test by trying to synthesize artificial targets. These 'mimotopes' mimic only a part of the original target protein, but still are sufficient to react with the patient's antibodies. The investigator produced mimotopes that are reliable and react with infected patients' serum. These mimotopes now can be the base for a new generation of rapid diagnostic tests for sleeping sickness.
In the original tests the antibodies are demonstrated by presenting them targets they will also recognize and attack on real trypanosomes such as the variable surface glycoprotein that cover the parasite as a mantle. When antibody and target react, the test is positive and is made visible by for instance a color change or a clotting. Today those targets are obtained from living parasites that are raised in laboratory animals, and are a constant danger for the laboratory technicians.
In an early stage, the disease is easy to treat, but once the brain is invaded, the treatment becomes more complex and physicians must use medicines with dangerous, even deadly, side effects. Therefore, it is important to detect the infection early. Patients become disoriented, their sleeping pattern disintegrates, and they get motor and mental problems. This inevitably leads to coma and death. According to the World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland) estimates, sleeping sickness claims 10,000 to 20,000 lives each year. In recent years, the number of cases has come down substantially, thanks to campaigns against the disease, so error margins that were acceptable in the old days, because the tests still saved so many lives, now become inadmissible.
Related Links:
Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine
World Health Organization
Gold Member
Flocked Fiber Swabs
Puritan® Patented HydraFlock®
New
Chlamydia Trachomatis Assay
Chlamydia Trachomatis IgG
New
Cytomegalovirus Test
NovaLisa Cytomegalovirus (CMV) IgG Test
Latest Microbiology News
- Molecular Stool Test Shows Potential for Diagnosing TB in Adults with HIV
- New Test Diagnoses Bacterial Meningitis Quickly and Accurately
- Handheld Device Delivers Low-Cost TB Results in Less Than One Hour
- New AI-Based Method Improves Diagnosis of Drug-Resistant Infections
- Breakthrough Diagnostic Technology Identifies Bacterial Infections with Almost 100% Accuracy within Three Hours
- Innovative ID/AST System to Help Diagnose Infectious Diseases and Combat AMR
- Gastrointestinal Panel Delivers Rapid Detection of Five Common Bacterial Pathogens for Outpatient Use
- Rapid PCR Testing in ICU Improves Antibiotic Stewardship
- Unique Genetic Signature Predicts Drug Resistance in Bacteria
- Unique Barcoding System Tracks Pneumonia-Causing Bacteria as They Infect Blood Stream
- Rapid Sepsis Diagnostic Test Demonstrates Improved Patient Care and Cost Savings in Hospital Application
- Rapid Diagnostic System to Detect Neonatal Sepsis Within Hours
- Novel Test to Diagnose Bacterial Pneumonia Directly from Whole Blood
- Interferon-γ Release Assay Effective in Patients with COPD Complicated with Pulmonary Tuberculosis
- New Point of Care Tests to Help Reduce Overuse of Antibiotics
- 30-Minute Sepsis Test Differentiates Bacterial Infections, Viral Infections, and Noninfectious Disease
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
AI-Powered Blood Test Accurately Detects Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer ranks as the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women, largely due to late-stage diagnoses. Although over 90% of women exhibit symptoms in Stage I, only 20% are diagnosed in... Read more
Automated Decentralized cfDNA NGS Assay Identifies Alterations in Advanced Solid Tumors
Current circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) assays are typically centralized, requiring specialized handling and transportation of samples. Introducing a flexible, decentralized sequencing system at the... Read more
Mass Spectrometry Detects Bacteria Without Time-Consuming Isolation and Multiplication
Speed and accuracy are essential when diagnosing diseases. Traditionally, diagnosing bacterial infections involves the labor-intensive process of isolating pathogens and cultivating bacterial cultures,... Read more
First Comprehensive Syphilis Test to Definitively Diagnose Active Infection In 10 Minutes
In the United States, syphilis cases have surged by nearly 80% from 2018 to 2023, with 209,253 cases recorded in the most recent year of data. Syphilis, which can be transmitted sexually or from mother... Read moreMolecular Diagnostics
view channel
Groundbreaking Molecular Diagnostic Test Accurately Diagnoses Major Genetic Cause of COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD) are both conditions that can cause breathing difficulties, but they differ in their origins and inheritance.... Read more
First-in-Class Diagnostic Blood Test Detects Axial Spondyloarthritis
Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune condition that typically affects individuals during their most productive years, with symptoms often emerging before the age of 45.... Read more
New Molecular Label to Help Develop Simpler and Faster Tuberculosis Tests
Tuberculosis (TB), the deadliest infectious disease globally, is responsible for infecting an estimated 10 million people each year and causing over 1 million deaths annually. While chest X-rays and molecular... Read more
Biomarker Discovery Paves Way for Blood Tests to Detect and Treat Osteoarthritis
The number of individuals affected by osteoarthritis is projected to exceed 1 billion by 2050. The primary risk factor for this common, often painful chronic joint condition is aging, and, like aging itself,... Read moreHematology
view channel
First Point-of-Care Heparin Monitoring Test Provides Results in Under 15 Minutes
Heparin dosing requires careful management to avoid both bleeding and clotting complications. In high-risk situations like extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), mortality rates can reach about 50%,... Read more
New Scoring System Predicts Risk of Developing Cancer from Common Blood Disorder
Clonal cytopenia of undetermined significance (CCUS) is a blood disorder commonly found in older adults, characterized by mutations in blood cells and a low blood count, but without any obvious cause or... Read more
Immunology
view channel
Stem Cell Test Predicts Treatment Outcome for Patients with Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer
Epithelial ovarian cancer frequently responds to chemotherapy initially, but eventually, the tumor develops resistance to the therapy, leading to regrowth. This resistance is partially due to the activation... Read more
Machine Learning-Enabled Blood Test Predicts Immunotherapy Response in Lymphoma Patients
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has emerged as one of the most promising recent developments in the treatment of blood cancers. However, over half of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients... Read more
Pathology
view channel
Groundbreaking Chest Pain Triage Algorithm to Transform Cardiac Care
Cardiovascular disease is responsible for a third of all deaths worldwide, and chest pain is the second most common reason for emergency department (ED) visits. With EDs often being some of the busiest... Read more
AI-Based Liquid Biopsy Approach to Revolutionize Brain Cancer Detection
Detecting brain cancers remains extremely challenging, with many patients only receiving a diagnosis at later stages after symptoms like headaches, seizures, or cognitive issues appear. Late-stage diagnoses... Read more
Technology
view channel
Advanced Predictive Algorithms Identify Patients Having Undiagnosed Cancer
Two newly developed advanced predictive algorithms leverage a person’s health conditions and basic blood test results to accurately predict the likelihood of having an undiagnosed cancer, including ch... Read more
Light Signature Algorithm to Enable Faster and More Precise Medical Diagnoses
Every material or molecule interacts with light in a unique way, creating a distinct pattern, much like a fingerprint. Optical spectroscopy, which involves shining a laser on a material and observing how... Read more
Disposable Microchip Technology Could Selectively Detect HIV in Whole Blood Samples
As of the end of 2023, approximately 40 million people globally were living with HIV, and around 630,000 individuals died from AIDS-related illnesses that same year. Despite a substantial decline in deaths... Read more
Pain-On-A-Chip Microfluidic Device Determines Types of Chronic Pain from Blood Samples
Chronic pain is a widespread condition that remains difficult to manage, and existing clinical methods for its treatment rely largely on self-reporting, which can be subjective and especially problematic... Read moreIndustry
view channel
Cepheid and Oxford Nanopore Technologies Partner on Advancing Automated Sequencing-Based Solutions
Cepheid (Sunnyvale, CA, USA), a leading molecular diagnostics company, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (Oxford, UK), the company behind a new generation of sequencing-based molecular analysis technologies,... Read more
Grifols and Tecan’s IBL Collaborate on Advanced Biomarker Panels
Grifols (Barcelona, Spain), one of the world’s leading producers of plasma-derived medicines and innovative diagnostic solutions, is expanding its offer in clinical diagnostics through a strategic partnership... Read more
