A $100,000 grant will help researchers in Virginia Commonwealth University’s department of microbiology and immunology finalize new point-of-care and laboratory-based tests for leptospirosis. The team is also developing another vaccine to prevent the zoonotic disease.
“[Lepto] can take a massive toll on both the public health and the global health economy in terms of food production and pricing,” said Dr. Richard T. Marconi, the principal project investigator. “To be able to diagnose, treat and prevent it is incredibly important.”
According to project leader Dr. Edward Schuler, current diagnostic tests can produce false positives, especially if the animal was vaccinated against lepto.
“If we can bring a better test to the market, it’ll allow patients and animals to be diagnosed quicker and be treated earlier for greater outcomes,” Dr. Marconi said.
The goal of the new tests is an “accurate reading that isn’t fooled by the vaccination,” Dr. Schuler said.
Members of VCU’s Marconi Lab have been developing the lepto tests for nearly five years. They believe the additional funding from the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation will support the final development of the technology and allow it to be commercialized so that veterinarians and clinicians have a better tool for diagnosing leptospirosis.
“Lepto is everywhere,” Dr. Schuler said. “You should be able to take your dog swimming or for a run in a field and not have to wonder if there’s lepto in the water and if your dog is going to go into kidney failure and possibly even transfer the infection to you.”