Malaria Research and Training Center (MRTC)
MALI / December 21, 2016 / 0 Comments
Description
The MRTC is at the Department of Epidemiology of Parasitic Diseases (DEAP), at the Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Odonto-Stomatology (FMPOS) of the University of Bamako in Mali. The MRTC has a staff of more than 150 permanent staff, more than 50 of whom are doctoral-level scientists. We are involved in all aspects of malaria research. All work at the MRTC is directed towards developing tools and testing appropriate strategies for the control of malaria and reduction of the disease burden due to this disease. Ongoing studies include malaria epidemiology, entomology, drug resistance, vaccine development, drugs and diagnostic tools, pathogenesis and malaria in pregnancy.
Current laboratories include an entomology facility with two large insectaries, parasitology, hematology, immunology and drugs laboratories. The Center was recently equipped with an Affymetrix platform for experiments on biochips.
A laboratory meeting international standards of good laboratory and clinical practice has been set up in Bamako to support ongoing vaccine trials. State-of-the-art laboratory equipment is available in the laboratories and all equipment is connected to an emergency power system to maintain operations in the event of a local power outage.
The MRTC has research sites in all regions of Mali. Thanks to an in-depth knowledge of local culture, we maintain good, lasting relationships with all of our communities.
A local network with a maximum of 200 computers is connected to high-speed internet using a dedicated server and a V-SAT system.
WANECAM Field Sites
Sotuba
Sotuba is a peri-urban village, with approximately 6,472 inhabitants and located on the outskirts of Bamako on the banks of the Niger River. Malaria transmission is mainly seasonal from June to December. The entomological inoculation rate is low (<15 infective bites/year/person). The incidence of malaria ranges from 1.02-2.06 episodes per person per year among 0-20 year olds (Dicko et al, 2007). Sotuba has been the MRTC/DEAP site for many drug effectiveness and malaria epidemiology studies. The MRTC team has established a very good relationship with the community and maintains a health and research center. This center has electricity, a medical examination room, a treatment room, a pharmacy, a waiting room, and two observation rooms. Additional rooms for examining participants, a diagnostic and blood sampling laboratory, a room for randomization, reliable internet connection. In addition, the site is not far from the MRTC/DEAP and the Gabriel Touré national hospital in Bamako.
Bougoula Hamlet
Bougoula is a suburban district of 6,900 inhabitants, located 5 km from Sikasso in the Sudanian zone dominated by a wooded savannah with tall grass dotted with large trees. The climate is Sudanian. It is under the influence of the humid forest zone with a rainy period reaching 6 months or more (from May to October, even November) per year.
Malaria is holo-endemic in Bougoula with a plasmodial index (PI) between 40 and 50% in the dry season (November to April) and between 70 and 85% in the rainy season (May to October).
Bougoula has a health center consisting of a maternity ward and a dispensary run by a well-trained state nurse. The MRTC team has had a lasting relationship with a community for a decade.
Kollé
Kollé is a rural village located near the Niger River (9 km Niger) 57 km southwest of Bamako and with a population of 2,845 inhabitants according to the 2010 MRTC census. The climate is Sudanese and divided into two distinct seasons throughout the year. The rainy season from June to November with maximum rainfall in August and September and the dry season from January to May.
Malaria is the main reason for outpatient consultation with a prevalence of 40 to 50% during the dry season and 70 to 85% during the rainy season.
Transmission is seasonal with a hyper-endemic appearance during the rainy season (3-4 months). Kollé also has a health center with a delivery room. The Kollé Research Center is well organized with 2 buildings, one for laboratory activities and the other for the clinic and hospitalization.
The center is mainly maintained by the MRTC team, a local nurse and a midwife. Kollé has been the field’s leading drug study site for over a decade and has tremendous experience working with trials of new antimalarial drugs. The team at MRTC has a strong collaboration with the local population.
MRTC scientists working in the laboratory
