Abstract:
Pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa exhibit a particularly high incidence of urinary tract infections (UTIs) which can lead to severe kidney damage and infant mortality....Show MoreMetadata
Abstract:
Pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa exhibit a particularly high incidence of urinary tract infections (UTIs) which can lead to severe kidney damage and infant mortality. In order to overcome the access barrier to healthcare experienced in these developing countries, a low-cost test strip for UTI screening is being developed through a small-scale hand stamping process. By minimizing the number of testing parameters to three, these test strips become accessible to community health workers (CHWs) who have limited education and training. These individuals act as liaisons between the formal health care system and rural communities that are geographically dispersed and culturally distinct. Furthermore, CHWs will be the primary mode for test strip distribution, representing the last mile delivery channels for the product. Filter paper adhered to PVC strips is utilized as the principal substrate for chemical deposition onto the test strips in which three common biomarkers of UTIs are detectable in urine: leukocytes, nitrites, and elevated pH. The leukocyte and nitrite assays are both produced through a single step diazonium coupling with an aromatic amine, while pH can be detected with bromophenol red. Each assay exhibits a rapid, visible color change in the presence of infection markers with a defined intensity gradient that can be experimentally verified. Furthermore, to prevent dispersion across all three stamped regions, a hydrophobic barrier in the form of thin PVC strips has been introduced to maintain color change integrity. Beyond the detection of UTIs, this affordable and effective urinalysis technology can be expanded to screen for a myriad of treatable diseases to improve the accessibility of healthcare in developing nations, particularly in rural communities.
Date of Conference: 18-21 October 2018
Date Added to IEEE Xplore: 06 January 2019
ISBN Information:
Print on Demand(PoD) ISSN: 2377-6919