Leapfrog diagnostics: Demonstration of a broad spectrum pathogen identification platform in a resource-limited setting.


Leski, Tomasz A ORCID: 0000-0001-7688-9887, Ansumana, Rashid ORCID: 0000-0002-1973-7200, Malanoski, Anthony P ORCID: 0000-0001-6192-888X, Jimmy, David H, Bangura, Umaru ORCID: 0000-0001-8789-3187, Barrows, Brian R, Alpha, Morie, Koroma, Bashiru M, Long, Nina C, Sundufu, Abu J et al (show 3 more authors) (2012) Leapfrog diagnostics: Demonstration of a broad spectrum pathogen identification platform in a resource-limited setting. Health research policy and systems, 10 (1). 22-. ISSN 1478-4505, 1478-4505

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Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>Resource-limited tropical countries are home to numerous infectious pathogens of both human and zoonotic origin. A capability for early detection to allow rapid outbreak containment and prevent spread to non-endemic regions is severely impaired by inadequate diagnostic laboratory capacity, the absence of a "cold chain" and the lack of highly trained personnel. Building up detection capacity in these countries by direct replication of the systems existing in developed countries is not a feasible approach and instead requires "leapfrogging" to the deployment of the newest diagnostic systems that do not have the infrastructure requirements of systems used in developed countries.<h4>Methods</h4>A laboratory for molecular diagnostics of infectious agents was established in Bo, Sierra Leone with a hybrid solar/diesel/battery system to ensure stable power supply and a satellite modem to enable efficient communication. An array of room temperature stabilization and refrigeration technologies for reliable transport and storage of reagents and biological samples were also tested to ensure sustainable laboratory supplies for diagnostic assays.<h4>Results</h4>The laboratory demonstrated its operational proficiency by conducting an investigation of a suspected avian influenza outbreak at a commercial poultry farm at Bo using broad range resequencing microarrays and real time RT-PCR. The results of the investigation excluded influenza viruses as a possible cause of the outbreak and indicated a link between the outbreak and the presence of Klebsiella pneumoniae.<h4>Conclusions</h4>This study demonstrated that by application of a carefully selected set of technologies and sufficient personnel training, it is feasible to deploy and effectively use a broad-range infectious pathogen detection technology in a severely resource-limited setting.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Published online 4 July 2012. Pages not for citation. 10 pages. Cite as: Leski et al.: Leapfrog diagnostics: Demonstration of a broad spectrum pathogen identification platform in a resource-limited setting. Health Research Policy and Systems 2012 10:22.
Uncontrolled Keywords: Animals, Poultry, Klebsiella Infections, Pseudomonas Infections, Indicators and Reagents, Early Diagnosis, Specimen Handling, Microarray Analysis, Molecular Diagnostic Techniques, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Drug Stability, Communication, Disease Outbreaks, Developing Countries, Laboratory Personnel, Laboratories, Sierra Leone, Electric Power Supplies, Influenza in Birds
Subjects: ?? RA0421 ??
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Divisions: Faculty of Health & Life Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 03 Jun 2013 15:19
Last Modified: 22 May 2026 23:18
DOI: 10.1186/1478-4505-10-22
Publisher's Statement : © 2012 Leski et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/11553
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