Target product profile: diagnostic test for Trypanosoma brucei gambiense
Gérardo Priotto, Jose Franco, Veerle Lejon, Philippe Büscher, Enock Matovu, Joseph Mathu Ndung’u, Sylvain Biéler, Dieudonné Mumba Ngoyi, Nick Van Reet, Paul Verlé, Vincent Jamonneau, Pere P. Simarro, Augustin Kadima Ebeja, Dieudonné Sankara, Daniel Argaw Dagne
Abstract
but be simple enough to use in rural Africa. Ideally, the tool could be applied by any minimally trained individual in an unsophisticated peripheral health facility, or a mobile team in a village with little infrastructure. The test should be able to function under hot and humid conditions. Basic training should take under 2 hours and the test should involve fewer than five steps. There should be no need for instrumentation or precision liquid handling. The test should yield a qualitative result in under 20 minutes that can be easily observed, and one test should be sufficient for determining treatment. A unit cost below 1 United States dollar (US$) would enable mass screening.