Discovery and development of diagnostic biomarkers for human African trypanosomiasis

<p>Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) or African Sleeping Sickness is a disease prevalent in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. HAT is a parasitic infection caused by two species, <em>Trypanosoma brucei gambiense</em> and <em>T. b. rhodesiense</em>. Clinical diagnosis is not sufficient as symptoms from other endemic diseases, such as Malaria, are similar. Currently the diagnosis of <em>T. b. gambiense</em> infection mainly relies on the Card Agglutination Test for Trypanosomiasis (CATT), which has severe limitations. Other diagnostic tests for <em>T. b. gambiense</em> and <em>T. b. rhodesiense</em> infections require lab based equipment, trained personnel and have varying degrees of sensitivity and specificity. New approaches are needed, firstly to identify new diagnostic biomarkers, and secondly to find a more suitable platform for the test.</p> <p>Our aim was to develop a lateral flow test based on trypanosome antigens. We used sera from <em>T. b. gambiense</em> infected and non-infected patients to identify infection specific diagnostic trypanosome proteins. The trypanosome proteins identified were then cloned into E. coli for recombinant expression and purification. The recombinant proteins were then screened by ELISA against 145 patients’ sera from the WHO HAT specimen bank. Invariant Surface Glycoprotein (ISG) 65 and a soluble Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG) were selected for development into a lateral flow format and 80 randomised patients’ sera were used to evaluate these prototypes. Here we describe the results showing that un-optimised proto-type lateral flow tests match the reported CATT sensitivity and specificity scores.</p>

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Doctor of Philosophy

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral Thesis

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Dundee

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Sullivan, Lauren

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Ferguson, Michael

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

oai:discovery.dundee.ac.uk:studenttheses/e6c3197a-849b-4148-8326-58a2b13f5072

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:discovery.dundee.ac.uk:studenttheses/e6c3197a-849b-4148-8326-58a2b13f5072