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Rapid diagnostic tests for non-malarial febrile illness in the tropics

Chappuis, F. and Alirol, E. and d'Acremont, V. and Bottieau, E. and Yansouni, C. P.. (2013) Rapid diagnostic tests for non-malarial febrile illness in the tropics. Clinical microbiology and infection : CMI : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Vol. 19, H. 5. pp. 422-431.

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Official URL: http://edoc.unibas.ch/dok/A6124544

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Abstract

The recent roll-out of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria has highlighted the decreasing proportion of malaria-attributable illness in endemic areas. Unfortunately, once malaria is excluded, there are few accessible diagnostic tools to guide the management of severe febrile illnesses in low resource settings. This review summarizes the current state of RDT development for several key infections, including dengue fever, enteric fever, leptospirosis, brucellosis, visceral leishmaniasis and human African trypanosomiasis, and highlights many remaining gaps. Most RDTs for non-malarial tropical infections currently rely on the detection of host antibodies against a single infectious agent. The sensitivity and specificity of host-antibody detection tests are both inherently limited. Moreover, prolonged antibody responses to many infections preclude the use of most serological RDTs for monitoring response to treatment and/or for diagnosing relapse. Considering these limitations, there is a pressing need for sensitive pathogen-detection-based RDTs, as have been successfully developed for malaria and dengue. Ultimately, integration of RDTs into a validated syndromic approach to tropical fevers is urgently needed. Related research priorities are to define the evolving epidemiology of fever in the tropics, and to determine how combinations of RDTs could be best used to improve the management of severe and treatable infections requiring specific therapy.
Faculties and Departments:09 Associated Institutions > Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) > Former Units within Swiss TPH > Clinical Epidemiology (Genton)
UniBasel Contributors:D'Acremont, Valérie
Item Type:Article, refereed
Article Subtype:Research Article
Publisher:Blackwell
ISSN:1198-743X
Note:Publication type according to Uni Basel Research Database: Journal article
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Last Modified:16 Aug 2013 07:34
Deposited On:16 Aug 2013 07:30

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