PATH

The demonstration study of the SD BIOLINE Onchocerciasis IgG4 rapid test aims to provide operational research data on the use and implementation of the test. The performance of the SD BIOLINE Onchocerciasis IgG4 rapid test has been verified in both reference laboratories as well as in controlled field settings. PATH and partners will explore the feasibility of incorporating the test into multiple sites in sub-Saharan Africa, with Senegal as a pilot country.

 We aim to demonstrate the acceptability and feasibility of the SD BIOLINE Onchocerciasis IgG4 test in the Senegal Onchocerciasis Control Programme surveillance activities relative to the diagnostic and collection tools currently used. 

This is a cross-reactivity evaluation of rapid tests detecting Wb123 antibodies. The test should perform similarly in sub-populations of individuals who are positive and negative for other filarial diseases, most importantly Loa loa. This field evaluation will determine the specificity of the tests in two separate populations, those positive and negative for Loa loa, and will be used to inform the product design and the product insert. This evaluation will recruit adults and children from regions that are known to have Loa loa in Cameroon.

 The study’s principal objective is to determine test specificity in individuals who are positive and negative for the filarial worm Loa loa. Secondary objectives are to determine the test specificity in individuals who are positive and negative for Mansonella perstans, and identify failure modes and failure rates of the rapid tests under surveillance conditions.

This is a cross-reactivity evaluation of rapid tests detecting Wb123 antibodies. The test should perform similarly in sub-populations of individuals who are positive and negative for other filarial diseases, most importantly Loa loa. This field evaluation will determine the specificity of the tests in two separate populations, those positive and negative for Loa loa, and will be used to inform the product design and the product insert. This evaluation will recruit adults and children from regions that are known to have Loa loa in Cameroon.

The study’s principal objective is to determine test specificity in individuals who are positive and negative for the filarial worm Loa loa. Secondary objectives are to determine the test specificity in individuals who are positive and negative for Mansonella perstans, and identify failure modes and failure rates of the rapid tests under surveillance conditions.

The success of MDA programs requires effective planning, community engagement, and delivery by community drug distributors. This proposal seeks to assess barriers and facilitators of effective coverage. Using in depth interviews, focus group discussions, and surveys, they will investigate factors related to acceptance, availability, and accessibility of MDA from the perspectives of drug distributors, healthcare workers, community leaders, the NTD program, and community members. Using the findings from the formative phase, an intervention package will be developed and implemented during MDA, followed by an evaluation of the impact of the intervention on coverage.

This project is part of a larger series of four studies that use a mixed methods approach to understand why particular districts that have undergone 5+ years of MDA are failing or are likely to fail transmission assessment surveys (TAS). Other studies include 169.1D Ghana, 169.2U Burkina Faso, and 177U Nepal. This study in Uttar Pradesh also provides a second opportunity to deploy the rapid ethnographic approach that will be first tested in Nepal. Team members from HERD Nepal will be traveling to India to train their team on the technique and assist with roll out.

How does the performance of the new Ov16/Ov3261 test strip compare to that of the SD Ov16 RDT and the SD Ov16 ELISA?