DAR ES SALAAM, Sept 1 — Tanzania’s state-run Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) in the Morogoro Region is working with about 80 hospitals across the country using specially trained African giant pouched rats to help detect tuberculosis (TB), strengthening efforts to identify cases that may be missed by conventional testing, an official announced on Monday.
SUA Vice Chancellor Raphael Chibunda made the remarks in Dodoma while briefing journalists on the university’s implementation of the 2025/2026 budget and plans for the 2026/2027 financial year. He said the use of rats for TB detection followed breakthroughs by SUA researchers in training rats to detect landmines. According to Chibunda, sputum samples that test negative on microscopic examination are then screened by specially trained rats. “If the rats detect the possible presence of TB bacteria in the sputum, the sample is sent back to the hospital for further examination using another specialized method with a higher detection capacity than microscopy,” he said. The collaboration with hospitals is expected to strengthen TB screening by adding a detection layer for samples that initially test negative, potentially helping health facilities identify more cases earlier, Chibunda added.
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