logo
  • Home
  • National
  • Sylhet
    • Moulvibazar
    • Sunamganj
    • Habiganj
  • NRB News
  • UK News
  • International
  • Sports
  • Tourism
  • Entertainment
  • Business
    • Technology
    • Featured
    • Opinion
    • Health
    • Life Style
    • Photo Gallery
    • Sylhet Mirror Team
  • Home
  • National
  • International
  • UK News
  • NRB News
  • Sylhet
  • Sunamganj
  • Moulvibazar
  • Habiganj
  • Business
  • Featured
  • Health
  • Life Style
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Photo Gallery
  • Sports
  • SUST
  • Technology
  • Tourism
  • Sylhet Mirror Team
  • Contact us
  1. Home
  2. Health
  3. icddr,b develops law cost rapid diagnostic test kit for cholera

icddr,b develops law cost rapid diagnostic test kit for cholera


Published: 13 March 2019, 2:02:02

icddr,b develops law cost rapid diagnostic test kit for cholera

Scientists at the icddr,b has developed a locally-made low-cost dipstick device, Cholkit, for rapid and effective diagnosis of cholera in Bangladesh and beyond.
 

Incepta Pharmaceuticals is the lone partner of this unique development. 

Generating new hopes of better management of the disease, the rapid diagnostic test (RDT) has successfully met requirements and guidelines for such tests, which are capable of detecting Vibrio cholerae from stools, icddr,b said in a press release.

 

Cholkit is an immunochromatographic test device – a dipstick that is dipped into a tube with stool specimen and provides qualitative result (coloured band) readable by the naked eye within a maximum of 15 minutes’ time.

 

A field evaluation of Cholkit has recently been published in the scientific journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, said Dr Firdausi Qadri, a scientist in the Infectious Diseases Division at icddr,b who led the development of Cholkit. 

“It showed that the sensitivity and specificity of Cholkit is similar to the commercially available RDTs, when used in field settings for detecting V. cholerae from stool specimens,” she said.

 

A total of 7,720 stool samples were tested during the evaluation where Cholkit has shown sensitivity of 76 percent and specificity of over 90 percent while other RDTs showed around 72 percent and 86.8 percent respectively.

 

The gold standard for detecting cholera is laboratory confirmation by stool culture, which is sensitive to several factors, including the quality of sampling, delays in shipment, laboratory equipment, skilled human resources, time (24 to 72 hours) and cost (6 to 8 US dollar/sample), the release added.

 

“From the public health perspective, the management of cholera outbreaks needs immediate detection as the pathogen has immense potential to spread and cause epidemics in a short period of time. Thus, the need for simple and easy to use RDTs which are quickly interpretable, require simple storage facilities, and are reasonably priced is a clear choice. It has the potential to be used at the primary health care level for cholera surveillance, for early outbreak detection and as a tool for an initial alert for monitoring of seasonal peaks in highly endemic areas and in peripheral health care facilities,” read the release.

 

Cholera is an ancient disease. Globally, an estimated 1.3 billion people are at risk of this disease, with South Asia, constituting the largest share.

 

In Bangladesh, at least 66 million people are at risk of cholera, with nearly 110,000 cases reported annually with many more mild and asymptomatic cases in the community.

 

The disease is primarily caused by a pathogen called V. cholerae, which has over 200 serotypes.

 

“Historically, all seven cholera pandemics have originated from this part of the world. Management of cholera outbreaks depends on early detection of cholera cases. Presently, in addition to the laboratory culture of stool samples, imported rapid diagnostic test kits are being used for cholera detection,” said the scientist.

 

“Now, Bangladesh has a locally-produced RDT Cholkit with the potential to reduce import dependency and potential to create new avenues for export to other endemic countries in the future,” she said.

 

Thus, Bangladesh will have completed locally-produced cholera preventions tools – a vaccine and a rapid diagnostic test to combat this ancient disease, she added.

 

The Incepta produced Cholkit is now being used in 22 cholera sentinel surveillance sites across Bangladesh which are managed jointly by icddr,b and Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control And Research (IEDCR).

Health
One more die of COVID-19

One more die of COVID-19

Emergency vaccines slash deaths by 60pc

Emergency vaccines slash deaths by 60pc

Intern doctors on strike demanding security of Mitford

Intern doctors on strike demanding security of Mitford

WHO sends Saima Wazed on forced leave

WHO sends Saima Wazed on forced leave

Latest News
Starmer to meet Trump during Scotland trip ahead of state visit
Starmer to meet Trump during Scotland trip ahead of state visit
Sadiq Khan could cut car parking spaces under plans leaked by careless official
Sadiq Khan could cut car parking spaces under plans leaked by careless official
Four dead in Southend Airport plane crash
Four dead in Southend Airport plane crash
Bitcoin tops $120,000 for the first time
Bitcoin tops $120,000 for the first time
Comfortable shirts, fatua for summer
Comfortable shirts, fatua for summer
One more die of COVID-19
One more die of COVID-19
Ex-minister Qamrul denied bail
Ex-minister Qamrul denied bail
Mitford murder: 2 siblings put on 5-day remand
Mitford murder: 2 siblings put on 5-day remand
No significant rise in crime, data shows
No significant rise in crime, data shows
Biman resumes Sylhet-Manchester direct flights after 2 months
Biman resumes Sylhet-Manchester direct flights after 2 months
Women’s protest, voices gave new strength to anti-fascist movement: Ali Riaz
Women’s protest, voices gave new strength to anti-fascist movement: Ali Riaz
Chelsea beat PSG to win Club World Cup as Maresca hails triumph equal to Champions League
Chelsea beat PSG to win Club World Cup as Maresca hails triumph equal to Champions League
BNP forms probe committee over Mitford murder
BNP forms probe committee over Mitford murder
Nasir, Tamima plead not guilty in court
Nasir, Tamima plead not guilty in court
Third group of 30 Bangladeshis repatriated from Tehran amid regional tensions
Third group of 30 Bangladeshis repatriated from Tehran amid regional tensions


© 2023 Sylhetmirror.com All Rights Reserved

Editor : Mohammed Abdul Karim (Goni)
Executive Editor : Enamul Haque Renu

Sylhet Mirror Team

Office: Unit 2, 60 Hanbury Street London E1 5JL Email : sylhetmirror@gmail.com

Developed by: Web Design & IT Company in Bangladesh

Go to top