Abstract
BackgroundInterventions are currently being used against ‘infectious diseases of poverty’, which remain highly debilitating and deadly in most endemic countries, especially malaria, schistosomiasis, echinococcosis and African sleeping sickness. However, major limitations of current ‘traditional’ methods for diagnosis are neither simple nor convenient for population surveillance, and showed low sensitivity and specificity. Access to novel technologies for the development of adequate and reliable tools are expressly needed. A collaborative project between African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation and partner institutions in Africa and China aims to screen suitable serological biomarkers for diagnostic pipelines against these ‘diseases of the poor’.MethodsParasite-specific exposed versus unexposed individuals were screened and sera or urine/stools were collected through case-control studies in China and African countries. Target genes/open reading frames were selected, then will be cloned and cell-free expressed, quantified and immuno-detected. Target antigens/epitopes will be probed and screened with sera from exposed or unexposed individuals using a high-throughput antigen screening platform as the study progresses. The specificity and sensitivity of highly immunoreactive biomarkers will be evaluated as well, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays or dipsticks.DiscussionThis roadmap explicitly unfolds the integrated operating procedures with focus on malaria and schistosomiasis, for the identification of suitable biomarkers that will aid the prioritization of diagnostics for population use. However, there is need to further validate any new diagnostic through comparison with standard methods in field deployable tests for each region. Our expectations for the future are to seek regulatory approval and promote the use of diagnostics in endemic areas.
Highlights
Interventions are currently being used against ‘infectious diseases of poverty’, which remain highly debilitating and deadly in most endemic countries, especially malaria, schistosomiasis, echinococcosis and African sleeping sickness
Malaria, schistosomiasis, echinococcosis and African sleeping sickness are among the diseases causing serious morbidity and mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa [1,2,3]
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported 212 million new cases of malaria infection resulting in 429,000 deaths globally in 2016, and over 90% of the deaths were in Africa
Summary
Interventions are currently being used against ‘infectious diseases of poverty’, which remain highly debilitating and deadly in most endemic countries, especially malaria, schistosomiasis, echinococcosis and African sleeping sickness. Schistosomiasis, echinococcosis and African sleeping sickness are among the diseases causing serious morbidity and mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa [1,2,3]. Schistosomiasis is prevalent in about 50 African countries causing more than 200,000 deaths per year in sub-Saharan Africa, while echinococcosis and African sleeping sickness are both endemic in more than 30 countries, and together, are responsible for about 12,000 deaths per year [3, 5]. These infections disproportionately affect the poor and disadvantage people who have limited access to health facilities. They are not just diseases commonly associated with poverty, but they are a cause of poverty and a major hindrance to economic development. Current estimates suggest that echinococcosis results in the loss of 871,000 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) annually, and associated annual costs are estimated to be US$ 3 billion for treating cases [5]
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