Waterborne diarrheal diseases account for a majority of illness and deaths in developing countries, especially among children. The lack of efficient, accurate, and inexpensive diagnostic technologies to effectively control the spread of such infectious diseases poses a serious threat to the health of populations.

Detailed description of the solution

The OdoReader is a battery-powered, cost-effective device that accurately diagnoses gastrointestinal diseases by analyzing volatile gases released from diarrheal stool samples. Odors captured by the device are blown over an internal sensor and processed by neural networks to display diagnoses and relevant treatment options. Initially designed to detect Clostridium difficile, the OdoReader is being further developed to detect other types of bacteria as well.

Relevance to developing country settings

The OdoReader has application in developing world settings as it is a robust, portable, inexpensive, and rapidly-functioning diagnostic device that requires no special skills or knowledge to be operated. Also, it is battery powered.

Designed by

Designed by

Dr. Norman Ratcliffe from the University of the West of England and Dr. Chris Probert from the University of Bristol

Funding Source

This device has philanthropic funding from the Wellcome Trust.

References