Development and improvement of tools for prevention, surveillance, detection and treatment

The tools that are actually used to control animal trypanosomosis have several drawbacks limiting their application. COMBAT will develop new, sound tools that are adapted to the conditions in which they will be applied, and that will be reasonably priced. The tools that will be developed within the project include:

• more ecological tools for vector control which will reduce not only the number of tsetse flies, but should also be effective against stable and horse flies

• diagnostic tests for surveillance of animal trypanosomosis, with increased test specificity and which have been standardized better

• diagnostics to detect ongoing infections in individual animals allowing to decide on treatment of test-positive animals.  Such new diagnostics will follow the guidelines formulated in the REASSURED criteria (i.e. Real-time connectivity, Ease of specimen collection, Affordability, Sensitivity, Specificity, User-friendliness, Rapidity and robustness, be Equipment free, and Deliverable to end-users)

• a new treatment will be assessed for its efficacy to cure infections caused by trypanosomes that are resisting to other existing drugs to cure animal trypanosomosis