Simply mentioning the word "rat" is enough to elicit feelings of disgust and horror in the majority of people. What if we were to tell you that some rats are literally saving people's lives?
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major killers in Africa reaching epidemic proportions. The disease is treatable but many die daily because it goes largely undetected. The task of quick and early detection is not only an overwhelming and difficult process, it takes time. An organization in Tanzania called Apopo has discovered that rats can detect TB in human sputum samples quickly and accurately. A group of Tanzanian and Belgian researchers discovered that the native Giant African Pouch Rat can detect TB in sputum samples far quicker than
No comments:
Post a Comment