Establishing an enteric bacteria reference laboratory in Sierra Leone

Authors

  • Marie Anne Chattaway Public Health England, United Kingdom
  • Abdul Kamara Central Public Health Reference Laboratory, Sierra Leone
  • Fay Rhodes Central Public Health Reference Laboratory, Sierra Leone
  • Konneh Kaffeta Central Public Health Reference Laboratory, Sierra Leone
  • Amara Jambai Directorate of Prevention and Control, Sierra Leone
  • Wondimagegnehu Alemu World Health Organisation, Country Office, Uganda
  • Mohammed Sirajul Islam Global Outbreak Response Alert Network consisting of International Centre of Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh
  • Molly M Freeman Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States
  • William Welfare Public Health England, United Kingdom
  • Doris Harding Central Public Health Reference Laboratory, Sierra Leone
  • Ahmed Foray Samba Central Public Health Reference Laboratory, Sierra Leone
  • Musu Abu Central Public Health Reference Laboratory, Sierra Leone
  • Sylvester Kamanda Central Public Health Reference Laboratory, Sierra Leone
  • Kathie Grant Public Health England, United Kingdom
  • Claire Jenkins Public Health England, United Kingdom
  • Satheesh Nair Public Health England, United Kingdom
  • Steve Connell Public Health England, United Kingdom
  • Lisa Siorvanes Public Health England, United Kingdom
  • Sarika Desai Public Health England, United Kingdom
  • Collette Allen Public Health England, United Kingdom
  • Margaret Frost Public Health England, United Kingdom
  • Daniel Hughes Public Health England, United Kingdom
  • Zonya Jeffrey Public Health England, United Kingdom
  • Noel Gill Public Health England, United Kingdom
  • Mark Salter Public Health England, United Kingdom

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.5074

Keywords:

Cholera, Sierra Leone, enteric disease, Salmonella, Shigella

Abstract

In 2012, Sierra Leone experienced its worst cholera outbreak in over 15 years affecting 12 of the country’s 13 districts. With limited diagnostic capability, particularly in bacterial culture, the cholera outbreak was initially confirmed by microbiological testing of clinical specimens outside of Sierra Leone. During 2012 – 2013, in direct response to the lack of diagnostic microbiology facilities, and to assist in investigating and monitoring the cholera outbreak, diagnostic and reference services were established in Sierra Leone at the Central Public Health Reference Laboratory focusing specifically on isolating and identifying Vibrio cholerae and other enteric bacterial pathogens. Sierra Leone is now capable of confirming cholera cases by reference laboratory testing.

Author Biographies

Marie Anne Chattaway, Public Health England, United Kingdom

Marie Anne Chattaway

Senior Biomedical Scientist, Gastrointestinal Bacteria Reference Unit (GBRU)

E. coli, Shigella, Yersina and Vibrios (ESYV)

Public Health England, 61 Colindale Avenue

Colindale, London, NW9 5EQ, UK

marie.chattaway@phe.gov.uk

Tel:+44 (0) 208 327 6172

www.gov.uk/phe Follow us on Twitter @PHE_uk

Abdul Kamara, Central Public Health Reference Laboratory, Sierra Leone

Head of CPHRL

Fay Rhodes, Central Public Health Reference Laboratory, Sierra Leone

Health Care Technician

Konneh Kaffeta, Central Public Health Reference Laboratory, Sierra Leone

Health Care Technician

Wondimagegnehu Alemu, World Health Organisation, Country Office, Uganda

WHO country representative

Molly M Freeman, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States

Unit Chief, PFGE reference laboratory, PulseNet USA

William Welfare, Public Health England, United Kingdom

Consultant in Communicable Disease Control

Doris Harding, Central Public Health Reference Laboratory, Sierra Leone

Health Care Technician

Ahmed Foray Samba, Central Public Health Reference Laboratory, Sierra Leone

Health Care Technician

Musu Abu, Central Public Health Reference Laboratory, Sierra Leone

Health Care Technician

Sylvester Kamanda, Central Public Health Reference Laboratory, Sierra Leone

Health Care Technician

Kathie Grant, Public Health England, United Kingdom

Director Gastrointestinal Bacteria Reference Unit

Claire Jenkins, Public Health England, United Kingdom

Unit Head of E. coli, Shigella, Yersinia and Vibrio reference laboratory

Satheesh Nair, Public Health England, United Kingdom

Senior Scientist

Steve Connell, Public Health England, United Kingdom

Senior Biomedical Scientist

Lisa Siorvanes, Public Health England, United Kingdom

Senior Biomedical Scientist

Sarika Desai, Public Health England, United Kingdom

Epidemiologist

Collette Allen, Public Health England, United Kingdom

Biomedical Scientist

Margaret Frost, Public Health England, United Kingdom

Biomedical Scientist

Daniel Hughes, Public Health England, United Kingdom

Biomdedical Scientist

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Published

2014-06-09

How to Cite

1.
Chattaway MA, Kamara A, Rhodes F, Kaffeta K, Jambai A, Alemu W, Islam MS, Freeman MM, Welfare W, Harding D, Samba AF, Abu M, Kamanda S, Grant K, Jenkins C, Nair S, Connell S, Siorvanes L, Desai S, Allen C, Frost M, Hughes D, Jeffrey Z, Gill N, Salter M (2014) Establishing an enteric bacteria reference laboratory in Sierra Leone. J Infect Dev Ctries 8:933–941. doi: 10.3855/jidc.5074

Issue

Section

Perspectives