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Rats detect tuberculosis

27.12.2017

Researchers from the Apopo organization were able to teach large African rats to smell the disease to detect tuberculosis in humans.

Rodents, which are also used to search for mines, are taught to look for an ailment almost from birth.

Rats find the disease in the following way. Several Petri dishes with human sputum, which has been heat-treated for safety, are placed in a cage next to them. The rodent in turn approaches each specimen and sniffs it. If the rat finds sputum with traces of tuberculosis, then it gives a sign - it begins to scratch the metal surface of the cage with its claws.

If the rodent correctly finds the sample, then the scientist presses a special button. After that, the rat receives a treat - a mixture of crushed banana, avocado and rat dry food.

Rats that work on the Apopo program find an additional 40% of TB cases that miss clinics. Since the program began ten years ago, the rodents have found 12,200 missed cases. Rats can test 100 samples in 10 to 20 minutes. It will take four days for a person with a microscope.

As scientists say, the disease has a special smell. Dogs try to avoid rooms that "smell".

Even doctors said that they smelled from people with tuberculosis. Therefore, rats easily find contaminated samples.

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