According to the Ugandan newspaper Monitor, the initiative led by Belgian NGO APOPO has resulted in a 40% increase in case finding efficiency.
The project is conducted in a laboratory in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city, where ten mice are trained to sniff Mycobacterium tuberculosis in human sputum samples. Nine more mice are being trained at the Agricultural University’s training center in Morogoro.
WHO said more than 10 million people were infected with TB in 2021, resulting in 1.6 million deaths. Using Gambian rats to detect tuberculosis cases has the potential to save many lives through early detection and treatment.
These mice, which can reach one meter in length (including the tail) and weigh up to one and a half kilograms, were also used to clear mines. A famous example is Magawa, a male Gambian rat who successfully cleared 71 mines and 38 unexploded ordnance in Cambodia and was awarded a medal for heroism in battle.
Recall that earlier we talked about scientific studies in which scientists taught ants to detect cancer by the smell of urine.
Source: Ferra
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
