title: [Mobile laboratories for rapid deployment and their contribution to the containment of emerging diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa, illustrated by the example of Ebola virus disease].
abstract: The Ebola virus, which became a global health concern in 2014, is an example of an emerging pathogen. Ebola virus disease can only be diagnosed in biosafety level 3 and 4 laboratories, which provide the security required to avoid exposure of both the staff and the environment to the pathogen. These laboratories are often far from the site of outbreaks, which may occur in rural areas or border regions (when the disease is imported from a neighboring country). Rapidly deployable laboratory units can bring the diagnosis closer to the outbreak site and thus significantly shorten the time to delivery of results, thus facilitating epidemic containment. Here we report our experience from the first months of implementation in Mali of a mobile laboratory unit of the same type as the European mobile labs and we describe the workflow in the laboratory as well as the training of its Malian staff. Based on our experience and the reports of other projects, we propose a framework in which these mobile laboratory units can strengthen epidemiological surveillance and contribute to containing outbreaks of emerging diseases in sub-Saharan Africa.
authors.affiliation: Programme allemand de partenariat d'excellence en matière de sûreté biologique et de sécurité sanitaire, Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (Agence allemande pour la coopération internationale), Bamako, Mali et Berlin, Allemagne.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Diers
authors.affiliation: Centre d'infectiologie Charles Mérieux du Mali, Bamako, Mali.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kouriba
authors.affiliation: Fondation Mérieux, direction du développement international, Bamako, Mali et Lyon, France.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ladan Fofana
authors.affiliation: Institut de microbiologie de la Bundeswehr (Forces armées allemandes), Munich, Allemagne.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fleischmann
authors.affiliation: Institut de microbiologie de la Bundeswehr (Forces armées allemandes), Munich, Allemagne.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Starke
authors.affiliation: Centre d'infectiologie Charles Mérieux du Mali, Bamako, Mali.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Diallo
authors.affiliation: Fondation Mérieux, direction du développement international, Bamako, Mali et Lyon, France.
authors.forename: F-X
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Babin
authors.affiliation: Programme allemand de partenariat d'excellence en matière de sûreté biologique et de sécurité sanitaire, Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (Agence allemande pour la coopération internationale), Bamako, Mali et Berlin, Allemagne.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: von Bonin
authors.affiliation: Institut de microbiologie de la Bundeswehr (Forces armées allemandes), Munich, Allemagne.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wölfel
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D064790:Clinical Laboratory Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008302:Mali; D008952:Mobile Health Units / Q000458:organization & administration; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: ELISA; EMLab; EPI; Ebola; European mobile laboratory project; MVE; Mali; P3/4; PCR; RTP; Sub-Saharan Africa; emerging pathogens; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; maladie à virus Ebola; mobile laboratory; pathogène de classe 3/4; polymerase chain reaction (réaction en chaîne par polymérase); rapid transfer port; équipement de protection individuelle