BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Trop. Dis.
Sec. Neglected Tropical Diseases
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fitd.2025.1638558
This article is part of the Research TopicEnhancing Global Access to Diagnostic Tools for Emerging Tropical Diseases in Resource-Limited SettingsView all 5 articles
Field Observations on the Use of Rapid Diagnostic Tests for Human African Trypanosomiasis in Nigeria
Provisionally accepted
Chinwe Uzoma Chukwudi1*
Omolara Adenekan2Jonadab Chinwendu2Amadea Enwonwu2Chinonso Iyi2Uchenna Anyaorah2Chukwuebuka Ugwu2Michael Owoicho2Glory Joseph2
Akwoba Ogugua3Silvanus Anika2- 1Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nsukka, Nigeria
- 2Vaccine Research Centre, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nsukka, Nigeria
- 3Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nsukka, Nigeria
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Introduction Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a Neglected Tropical Disease targeted for elimination by 2030. Control efforts have reduced prevalence, but diagnostic challenges for field surveillance persist. Rapid Diagnostic Test kits (RDTs), used as frontline diagnostic tools for field surveillance, are often based on Variant Surface Glycoproteins (VSGs), which undergo constant mutations and exhibit considerable geographical diversity. Some VSGs are absent in Cameroon and Nigerian trypanosome strains/isolates. Method This study evaluated the reliability of HAT RDTs using human and animal blood samples from Nigeria. Seropositive samples from ELISA and CATT were tested with Abbott Bioline HAT 2.0 RDT. Result All ELISA and CATT seropositive human samples tested negative on the RDT, whereas two seropositive animal samples were positive on the RDT. The animal samples were positive on the test line 1, which is the ISG 65. This implies that the RDT kit was unable to detect seropositive samples from Nigeria, and therefore raises concerns about the reliability/suitability of this RDT for HAT field surveillance in Nigeria. Conclusion This study emphasizes the importance of incorporating diverse Trypanosoma strains into RDT development and ensuring validation across all endemic areas for effective field surveillance and disease control.
Keywords: Human African Trypanosomiasis, CATT, HAT RDT, Field surveillance, Variant surface glycoprotein, ntd
Received: 30 May 2025; Accepted: 13 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chukwudi, Adenekan, Chinwendu, Enwonwu, Iyi, Anyaorah, Ugwu, Owoicho, Joseph, Ogugua and Anika. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Chinwe Uzoma Chukwudi, Department of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nsukka, Nigeria
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