
Hcp1-ICT for early detection of pediatric melioidosis
Principal Investigator : Salin Sirinam, Tropical Pediatrics
Project Status : Completed
Project Summary
Melioidosis is one of the most significant tropical diseases facing rural communities in North-eastern, Eastern and Central Thailand. The disease is caused by an infection of Burkholderia pseudomalle and is most commonly acquired through contact with contaminated water.One of the major issues facing Melioidosis treatment is presents clinically similarly to other tropical disease endemic to the same areas. At present, Melioidosis is diagnosed by a bacterial culture from a clinical sample. However, these tests are often slow, and have a low sensitivity, estimated to be around 60% sensitivity. These issues precipitate the need for a rapid and sensitive test capable to diagnosis melioidosis. Recent studies have shown that both Hemolysin-coregulated protein (Hcp1) targeted immunochromatography test (Hcp1-ICT) and Hcp1-ELISA assays have been effective at diagnosing Meliodosis with 90.1% and 83% sensitivity respectively. These results have only been shown in adults, while the data in the paediatric population remains sparse. To fill the gap in the knowledge the Sirinam Lab are evaluating the efficacy of Hcp1-ICT and Hcp1-ELISA in diagnosis melioidosis in paediatric patients.