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07 January 2018
Photo Charl Devenish
Dr Anneke van der Spoel van Dijk is invested in contributing
to the global effort of stopping TB by 2035.
The work of Dr Anneke van der Spoel van Dijk investigates the spread of TB in the Free State population using techniques such as next generation sequencing, spoligotyping and MIRU-VNTR typing. Dr Van der Spoel van Dijk, a senior medical scientist in the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of the Free State (UFS) also looks at drug resistance in her research. This work informs decisions about how best to treat patients with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).
She employs rapid molecular techniques to track one of Africa’s most serious diseases, tuberculosis (TB).
Drug resistance
Scientists assist the National Health Laboratory Service and Department of Health in trying to refine the diagnostic tools to identify these cases earlier. Dr Van der Spoel van Dijk explains: “Until recently, it took up to two years to fine-tune treatment decisions for patients with MDR-TB. Patients get a cocktail of anti-TB drugs, but it takes time to find the right combination. Re-infection and relapse (patients stopping treatment for several reasons) add to the diagnostic and treatment management challenges.
Enormous impact
“Now doctors can reduce the time needed for diagnostic certainty to about seven days, while new drugs allow reduction of treatment from more than 18 to nine months. This can have an enormous impact on the life of many patients.”
Dr Van der Spoel van Dijk’s work forms part of research in the faculty looking at resistance development in TB strains. She is currently also doing her doctoral thesis on the differences and incidence of MDR-TB among adolescents versus adults. Dr Van der Spoel van Dijk says: “It is a complicated picture, but we hope to unravel it to support better diagnostic tools and patient care.”
As part of the National Health Laboratory Service, her department is playing an important role in TB diagnostics and the training of scientists and future pathologists. “Our work is contributing to the global vision to stop TB by 2035,” Dr Van der Spoel van Dijk says.
US embassy consolidates relations with the UFS
2009-05-21
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Delegates from the American Embassy recently visited the University of the Free State (UFS) to strengthen relations and to offer assistance with regards to staff and student development on diversity issues. This was a continuation of the Fulbright scholarship agreement that the UFS has with the American Embassy. As part of this agreement two student leaders, Andries Moekoa (SRC Transformation) and Jamie Turkington (IRAWA editor), will go to the USA next month for six weeks. They will be placed, together with students from other countries, at universities with the same challenges as the UFS. During the visit of the delegates from the American Embassy they had meetings with the Student Representative Councils of the Qwaqwa Campus and the Main Campus, Student Affairs Management, as well as members of the Executive Committee of the Executive Management. Pictured from the left are: Prof Ezekiel Moraka (Vice-Rector: Student Affairs), Mr Andrew Passen (Consulate General: US Embassy), Prof Teuns Verschoor (Acting Rector and Vice-Chancellor), Dr Choice Makhetha (Acting Dean: Student Affairs) and Mr Steven Stark (Public Affairs Officer: US Embassy).
Photo: Stephen Collett |