Using Cell phones to Detect Malaria and TB Infection

Researchers at UCSF are working on technology to use a cell phone to detect Malaria and TB Infection. A simple cell phone with a camera is adapted to work as a light microscope. This simple inexpensive device is then used to detect malaria parasites and tuberculose bacteria using regular light microscopy techniques. The device can also be used for fluorescence microscopy, screening and diagnosing infections in the blood stream.

Many parts of the developing world do not have sofisticated medical technology. A simple light microscope may be too expensive for a health center taking care of thousands of patients in a given community. However, these same places in Africa, Asia and Latin America have easy affordable access to cell phones. These cell phones are extremely cheap and many of them now come with cameras and even internet access.

These researchers at UCSF/UC Berkerly Bioengineering group succeeded in building a mobile phone-mounted light microscope and were able to detect P. falciparum-infected cells, and sickle red blood cells and M. tuberculosis-infected sputum samples without any major difficulties. They were also able to use image analysis software to automate the counting of TB bacteria. These digital imaging applications can be very helpful in many parts of the developing world and also in many parts of rural areas all over the world where medical diagnostics are not readily available. The images obtained from such tests can be easily transmitted over the internet to specialists around the world who will then help in the diagnosis and treatment of the patient’s condition. It will be very exciting to see when this technology will become available for wider use. The results of this study have been published in the PloS ONE journal.

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