Stop transmission of gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (StrogHAT)
Summary
Gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (gHAT) is a neglected tropical disease caused by trypanosome parasites which is fatal if left untreated. So far, treatment options for gHAT were limited and toxic, forcing control programmes to avoid overtreatment through complex diagnostic procedures, including screening with a serological test, laborious microscopic confirmation of seropositives and lumbar puncture for disease stage determination. This resulted in loss of up to 50% of gHAT cases, which remained untreated.
Recently, a non-toxic single dose oral drug, acoziborole, has shown 98.1% efficacy in a phase III trial, irrespective of gHAT disease stage. Acoziborole removes the need for lumbar puncture and appears safe enough to treat serological suspects without microscopic confirmation (screen & treat).
StrogHAT intends to provide the first evidence for recommending screen & treat to national HAT control programmes for gHAT elimination. Through facilitated diagnosis, increased acceptability and access to treatment, StrogHAT will contribute to achieving the goal of stopping gHAT transmission by 2030, as defined by the World Health Organization.
Project
Stop transmission of gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (StrogHAT)
Period
July 2023 – June 2028
Contact
Elena Nicco
Principal Investigator
✉ enicco@itg.be
Objectives
Primary objective:
To evaluate if a screen & treat strategy can lead to interruption of gHAT transmission in a mainland focus
Secondary objectives:
To provide further evidence for safety of acoziborole in seropositive gHAT suspects
To provide an accurate cost estimate for a screen & treat strategy
To achieve these objectives, screen & treat will be implemented, actively and passively, for three consecutive years in the gHAT focus of Nord Equateur in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Available geographical information will be exploited to specifically target villages where gHAT is present or recently was. Detection at a reference laboratory, of the trypanosomes nucleic acids in blood collected before treatment, will retrospectively identify true gHAT cases among the treated serological suspects. After 3 years of intervention, the gHAT prevalence in the focus will be re-estimated.
Key actors
Programme National de Lutte contre Trypanosomiase Humaine Africaine
(DRC)
Participant
Video tutorials: Blood Collection Protocol (KPS), HAT Sero K-Set Test and CATT test
As part of the StrogHAT project, three new video tutorials are now available to guide healthcare professionals through essential protocols: the Blood Collection Kit Protocol (KPS), the HAT Sero K-SeT test, and the CATT test. These visual resources are designed to simplify and standardise the use of these tests, which are used to diagnose human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), known as sleeping sickness.
These tutorials contribute to training efforts in diagnosing sleeping sickness, developing regionally adapted solutions and enhancing local skills through the work of the StrogHAT project and WHO collaborating centres.
Blood Collection Protocol (KPS)
The Blood Collection Kit (KPS) is designed to ensure safe and protocol-compliant sample collection. This resource trains practitioners in best practices for blood collection, especially in situations where samples need to be sent to a reference laboratory for further testing.
HAT Sero K-Set Test
The HAT Sero K-SeT Test is a rapid diagnostic tool for identifying antibodies specific to trypanosomiasis. The accompanying video details each step of the process, from sample preparation to result interpretation, offering professionals a reliable, easy-to-follow method for specific antibodies detection.
Funding
Research themes
Sleeping Sickness
Read moreNews
Share project on