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Media Centre > News > Newsletters >
Issue 7 |
Providing an open-access, well-characterized specimen bank
The World Health Organization’s
Department of Neglected Tropical
Diseases (NTD) and FIND are establishing a
Specimen Bank to provide reference clinical
materials to facilitate the development and
evaluation of new tests. Specimens comprising
of serum, plasma, buffy coat, saliva, urine and
CSF will be collected from various sites in endemic countries, taking
into account geographical variability and
differences in patient subgroups. Collection
will follow internationally acceptable guidelines
regarding the collection, transportation,
storage and use of clinical specimens,
including control of confidential information
such as patient data.
The project plans to enroll around 840 cases,
defined as persons with evidence of parasites
in their blood, lymphatic system or cerebrospinal
fluid (CSF); 840 to 1,000 controls defined as persons
with neither evidence nor suspicion of HAT;
and 100 to 250 suspected cases defined as persons
with a serological suspicion of HAT due to T.b.
gambiense but with no evidence of the parasite.
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