IDIS Project Work Package 2: Establishing a Biobank at ITM and Collaborating Centres

The aim of the project is the identification of Salmonella specific proteins that can be detected in samples derived from the host (= humans) during an acute infection. This can support the development of rapid tests to improve the diagnosis of invasive Salmonellosis.

The study is taking place at the travel clinic of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, and at the Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It is planned to start in 2016 at the Centre Hospitalier de Kingasani in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo in collaboration with the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The expected number of participants in total is 2500.

Patients (children and/or adults) presenting with (a history of) fever are asked permission (informed consent and/or assent) to draw additional blood samples (along with routine care samples, so no need for additional venipuncture), and for the long term storage of these samples (whole blood and plasma) in a freezer together with left-over serum and urine samples. They are also asked permission for the collection of coded data including basic demographic, clinical and laboratory data.

Blood for plasma and urine are centrifugated. All samples are aliquoted into cryotubes (coded labelling) before storage in a -80 ⁰C freezer.

Depending on the final diagnosis, patients can be divided in 4 groups:

• Patients for whom blood cultures grew Salmonella species
• Patients for whom blood cultures did not grow a pathogen
• Patients for whom blood cultures grew with another pathogen
• Healthy controls

The frozen samples collected in Cambodia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo will be shipped to Belgium.

All selection of all the samples collected will undergo proteomic analysis by researchers of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in collaboration with the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie and coded data related to the samples is shared with these partners.

Once this test has been developed, the samples will also be used for validation and evaluation of this test.

A. Travel clinic Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) Antwerp

Inclusion criteria

Adults (≥ 18 years) and children aged 3 years to 18 years with (suspicion of) fever and:

• presenting at ITM travel clinic with history of fever (axillary T° ≥ 38°C) and/or chills/rigor and sweats within 3 days prior to consultation
• presenting at ITM travel clinic for routine check-up ("apparently healthy")
• with recent (< 2 weeks) stay in tropical country

Exclusion criteria

Refusal to participate

B. Sihanouk Hospital Center of HOPE (SHCH)

Inclusion criteria

Adults (≥ 18 years) with (suspicion of) fever and:

• Presenting at the in- and outpatient department of SHCH with a history of fever (axillary T≥ 38°C) and/or/chills/rigor and sweats within 3 days prior to consultation

Exclusion criteria

• Refusal to participate
• Not able to give informed consent

Inclusion criteria

Adults (≥ 18 years) and children aged 2 months to 18 years with (suspicion of) fever and:

• Blood culture request by treating physician

Exclusion criteria

• Not able or willing to give informed consent
• A hemoglobin level that is considered too low for weight and age

Inclusion criteria

Adults (≥ 18 years) and children aged 2 months to 18 years with (suspicion of) fever and:

• Blood culture request by treating physician

Exclusion criteria

• Not able or willing to give informed consent
• A hemoglobin level that is considered too low for weight and age