Neurocysticercosis in sub-Saharan Africa - A neglected infectious disease and an emerging public health problem
Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse
The major goals of the project consisted of strengthening diagnostic capacity for T. solium immunodiagnosis in three African countries and assessment of intra-species genetic variation of T. solium strains. To obtain source material for immunodiagnosis and research, T. solium cysts from 16 highly infected pigs from Zambia, Uganda and Tanzania were collected, processed to diagnostic antigen for antibody ELISA and Western Blot, furthermore DNA was extracted for phylogenetic studies. During three months of laboratory training in Germany at the Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine (DITM) in 2011, one master student from Zambia and two PhD students from Uganda and Tanzania were trained in all relevant procedures regarding antigen preparation, ELISA and Western Blot and produced batches of antigen and Western Blot strips for use in their own laboratories. The partner laboratories in Zambia and Uganda were furnished with laboratory equipment and consumables. The laboratory in Zambia was put into operation by the end of 2011, and the Zambian master student conducted a comparative study on the diagnostic sensitivity of Western Blot with local Zambian antigen versus pooled antigen from all three countries. Following several modifications of previously published methods of DNA extraction and sequencing of the T. solium mitochondrial genes cox 1 and cyt b, DNA from 48 scolices from 16 infected pigs from the three African partner countries was subjected to sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis revealed two African subtypes, an East African subtype prevalent in Uganda and Tanzania (sporadically also in Zambia presumably through imported cattle), and a West African subtype prevalent in Zambia. Several factors hampered the progress of the project: Due to lack of veterinary capacity in Uganda and Tanzania, cyst collection had to be conducted by the DITM research assistant/PhD student whose extensive travels in turn delayed all laboratory activities including the student training and production of diagnostic anrtigen. As the DITM research assistant left the department in August 2012, to date neither the genotyping study nor a sub-study on use of porcine reference sera in human immunodiagnostic assays have been completed.
Projektbezogene Publikationen (Auswahl)
- Neurocysticercosis in sub-Saharan Africa – high density Taenia solium infection in pigs as source of material for diagnostic and research. 102. Annual Meeting of the German Society for Tropical Medicine and International Health. Heidelberg, Germany, 2012
Schmidt V, Sikasunge CS, Ovuga E, Odongo-Aginya E, Matuja W, Kihamia C, Mwanjali G, Simukoko C, Alarakol S, Löscher T, Winkler AS, Bretzel G
