Rats Small Out TB Better, Faster Than Human Labs

Boy that smells bad! Your nose, a dog's nose and now a rat's nose can smell out disease maybe faster and better than mechanical or lab tests.

clipped from www.herorat.org Fighting Tuberculosis 2,529,000 new case of Tuberculosis were reported in Africa in 2005. This accounted for 29% of new TB cases reported globally. The concept is very simple: rats sniff a series of holes, under which human sputum samples are lined up for evaluation. They pinpoint the samples which contain TB bacteria. Their correct indications are rewarded with a food treat. Currently HeroRATS serve a population of 500,000 people in deprived communities in Dar Es Salaam and Morogoro, and weekly find 5 to 10 patients that have been missed by mircoscopes.