- Feb 5, 2002
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Let’s face it, rats aren’t the most popular animal. From the Black Death to the Netflix documentary on New York’s rodent problem, they may be the least-liked mammal on Earth.
But down in Kenya and Tanzania, they are utilizing rats to cure disease rather than cause it, and to be a member of society, rather than an outcast.
The APOPO Project has already trained rats to smell landmines—one of the most tragic and long-lasting consequences of warfare, but now scientists are training them to sniff out tuberculosis, and they’re proving more sensitive than microscope testing.
African giant pouched rats, also known as Gambian pouched rats, were also able to detect the olfactory characteristics of TB independent of a person’s HIV status, something which disrupts existing TB testing.
“That is, they can easily identify tuberculosis in people living with HIV, keeping in mind that these people living with HIV, it is very difficult to be diagnosed by the standard test, including Genexpert in microscopes,” Joseph Soka, program manager for TB at APOPO, told Africa News.
Tuberculosis still unfortunately kills millions worldwide, and in the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam, the APOPO rats have now replaced normal testing in 21 different health clinics.
Continued below.
www.goodnewsnetwork.org
But down in Kenya and Tanzania, they are utilizing rats to cure disease rather than cause it, and to be a member of society, rather than an outcast.
The APOPO Project has already trained rats to smell landmines—one of the most tragic and long-lasting consequences of warfare, but now scientists are training them to sniff out tuberculosis, and they’re proving more sensitive than microscope testing.
African giant pouched rats, also known as Gambian pouched rats, were also able to detect the olfactory characteristics of TB independent of a person’s HIV status, something which disrupts existing TB testing.
“That is, they can easily identify tuberculosis in people living with HIV, keeping in mind that these people living with HIV, it is very difficult to be diagnosed by the standard test, including Genexpert in microscopes,” Joseph Soka, program manager for TB at APOPO, told Africa News.
Tuberculosis still unfortunately kills millions worldwide, and in the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam, the APOPO rats have now replaced normal testing in 21 different health clinics.
Continued below.
Nonprofit is Training Rats to Sniff Out Tuberculosis, More Sensitive Than Microscope Testing
Kenya and Tanzania, they are utilizing rats to cure disease rather than cause it, and to be a member of society, rather than an outcast.
www.goodnewsnetwork.org
