For years, rats trained by the Dutch nonprofit Apopo have sniffed out TNT-laden landmines, accelerating the slow, painstaking process of de-mining in countries like Mozambique and Cambodia.
That work continues, but now the organization is pointing its rats’ noses at another global health problem: tuberculosis. The African giant-pouched rat, it turns out, can detect the infectious disease much faster than humans can process samples.
Apopo started its first rat TB-detection program in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 2007. A single rat can check 100 TB samples in 20 minutes. It would take a lab technician using the traditional method of a smear microscopy — which has an accuracy rate of 20 to 60 percent — four days to get through that many samples. Research studies show rats can identify TB samples accurately more than 60 percent of the time, and often at rates much higher. The nonprofit says it has been able to increase the detection rates at partner clinics by more than 40 percent.
We're sorry. Something went wrong.
We are unable to fully display the content of this page.
The most likely cause of this is a content blocker on your computer or network.
Please allow access to our site, and then refresh this page. You may then be asked to log in, create an account if you don't already have one, or subscribe.
If you continue to experience issues, please contact us at 202-466-1032 or help@chronicle.com