Performance evaluation of the Mini-Lab, an all-in-one clinical bacteriology laboratory adapted to low-resource settings, in a district hospital in Central African Republic: A prospective descriptive study

Performance evaluation of the Mini-Lab, an all-in-one clinical bacteriology laboratory adapted to low-resource settings, in a district hospital in Central African Republic: A prospective descriptive study

ABSTRACT: Objectives: Médecins sans Frontières designed an all-in-one microbiology laboratory (the ''Mini-Lab'') to improve bacterial infections diagnosis in low-resource settings by nonexpert laboratory staff. We assessed the diagnostic performance of the Mini-Lab in its final...

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Main Authors: Céline Langendorf, Jean-Baptiste Ronat, Alessandra Natale, Thomas Vidal, Hyacinthe Kodo, Saoussen Oueslati, Bernard Baillet, Céline Franquesa, Félix Kouassi, Clotaire Donation Rafai, Kerry Dierberg, Rupa Kanapathipillai, Justine Michel, Jan Jacobs, Thierry Naas, Olivier Vandenberg
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-10-01
Series:International Journal of Infectious Diseases
Subjects:
Microbiology laboratory
Antimicrobial resistance
Low-resource settings
Blood culture
Sepsis
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971225002255
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Summary:ABSTRACT: Objectives: Médecins sans Frontières designed an all-in-one microbiology laboratory (the ''Mini-Lab'') to improve bacterial infections diagnosis in low-resource settings by nonexpert laboratory staff. We assessed the diagnostic performance of the Mini-Lab in its final intended use. Methods: This was a prospective descriptive study at a District Hospital in Central African Republic. We included hospitalised patients who had a blood culture prescription. Bacteria isolated in the Mini-Lab were sent to a reference laboratory for confirmation. Ease of use was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire after training and up to 8 months after. Results: Isolated from 960 blood cultures between Sept 2021 and Feb 2022, 76 pathogens were sent for confirmation. The concordance of bacterial identification between the Mini-Lab and the reference method was 97% (74/76) at genus level and 90% (68/76) at species level. Antibiogram showed very good category concordances (≥90%) between the Mini-Lab and the reference methods for most antibiotics. The Mini-Lab was perceived as easy to use by the laboratory technicians. Conclusion: The Mini-Lab, routinely implemented in a district hospital in combination with an antimicrobial stewardship programme showed good performances and usability by nonexpert laboratory staff. It is a promising solution to improve access to microbiological diagnostics in remote areas.
ISSN:1201-9712

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