James Gachugia
@kemri.go.ke
Kenya Medical Research Institute
I am a medical microbiologist pursuing a doctoral degree (PhD) in Immunology. My passion lies in leveraging my expertise and research acumen to propel the field of infectious diseases forward. I am dedicated to advancing vaccinology through innovative research while inspiring and educating future researchers. Ultimately, I aim to develop highly effective vaccines to combat infectious diseases.
EDUCATION
2024 – Present: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Immunology
Mount Kenya University, Thika, Kenya
2015 – 2021: Master of Science in Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya
2011 – 2015: Bachelor of Science in Medical Microbiology
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Immunology, Microbiology, Parasitology, Virology
Scopus Publications
Scholar Citations
Scholar h-index
Scholar i10-index
Scopus Publications
James Gachugia, Winnie Chebore, Kephas Otieno, Caroline Wangari Ngugi, Adano Godana, and Simon Kariuki
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Abstract Background Prompt diagnosis and effective malaria treatment is a key strategy in malaria control. However, the recommended diagnostic methods, microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), are not supported by robust quality assurance systems in endemic areas. This study compared the performance of routine RDTs and smear microscopy with a simple molecular-based colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) at two different levels of the health care system in a malaria-endemic area of western Kenya. Methods Patients presenting with clinical symptoms of malaria at Rota Dispensary (level 2) and Siaya County Referral Hospital (level 4) were enrolled into the study after obtaining written informed consent. Capillary blood was collected to test for malaria by RDT and microscopy at the dispensary and county hospital, and for preparation of blood smears and dried blood spots (DBS) for expert microscopy and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results of the routine diagnostic tests were compared with those of malachite green loop-mediated isothermal amplification (MG-LAMP) performed at the two facilities. Results A total of 264 participants were enrolled into the study. At the dispensary level, the positivity rate by RDT, expert microscopy, MG-LAMP and RT-PCR was 37%, 30%, 44% and 42%, respectively, and 42%, 43%, 57% and 43% at the county hospital. Using RT-PCR as the reference test, the sensitivity of RDT and MG-LAMP was 78.1% (CI 67.5–86.4) and 82.9% (CI 73.0–90.3) at Rota dispensary. At Siaya hospital the sensitivity of routine microscopy and MG-LAMP was 83.3% (CI 65.3–94.4) and 93.3% (CI 77.9–99.2), respectively. Compared to MG-LAMP, there were 14 false positives and 29 false negatives by RDT at Rota dispensary and 3 false positives and 13 false negatives by routine microscopy at Siaya Hospital. Conclusion MG-LAMP is more sensitive than RDTs and microscopy in the detection of malaria parasites at public health facilities and might be a useful quality control tool in resource-limited settings.