Ababengabafundi base-UKZN Bathole i-SARS-CoV-2 Emanzini Endle

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I-GreenHill Laboratories yase-Hilton eKwaZulu-Natali, lapho kwaqala khona ukutholakala komuntu ophethwe yi-COVID-19 eNingizimu Afrika, iyindawo yokuqala enegumbi locwaningo e-Afrika ukuthi ihlunge amanzi endle bese ibona i-SARS-CoV-2 RNA, okuyinto eyenzeke ngoNhlangulana ohlelweni lokuxilonga igciwane olufaka umsebenzi wabathathu ababengabafundi base-UKZN.

I-Proof of Concept eyenziwe yi-GreenHill Laboratories ngokuhlanganyela noSolwazi Anthony Turton wase-University of the Free State ne-Amanzi-4-All, obudidiyelwe nguMnu Neil Madgwick wase-Praecautio, amasampula enziwa nguMnu Kevin Lindsay wase-Instru-Serve, usizo lwezinsiza zokwenza lolu cwaningo beluvela e-Impuma Group lutholakala nge-Amanzi-4-All.

Esebenza ngamasampula athathwe ezimweni ebezibhekwe ngeso lokhozi lwezindawo ezihlanza amanzi endle eGauteng, umqondisi we-GreenHill Laboratories uDkt Shaun Groenink ubheke ukuphathwa nokucutshungulwa kwamasampula yi-molecular biologist enkulu uDkt Cara-Lesley Bartlett. Bebesebenzisa imigomo eshicilelwe yi-Dutch KWR Water Research Institute ne-Center for Disease Control and Prevention yaseMelika ukuhlunga nokubheka izakhi zegciwane.

Amazinga egciwane abonakalayo atholakale emasampuleni amathathu kwamahlanu, kwase kwenziwa izindlela zokuphucula ukuhlola. I-Proof of Concept iveze ukuthi i-COVID-19 ingatholakala emanzini endle, iNingizimu Afrika iyakwazi ukwenza loku kuhlola, ukuhlola amasampula afanele nokuhambisa egumbini locwaningo kuyenzeka nokuthi izindlela nezinto ezikhona zingasetshenziswa futhi asikho isidingo sokwakha ezintsha.

Ithimba lithe ukusebenzisa i-Proof of Concept ukwenza ezinye izindlela zokuxilonga kungenza ukuthi umthamo wegciwane emphakathini wonke uhloleke ukuze kubonakale ukuthi izaba ezehlukene ziyasebenza yini nokuthi lo msebenzi ungandiswa futhi wenzeke ezikhungwini zikahulumeni nezizimele.

Baningi ababambe iqhaza baseMelika, e-Afrika nase-Middle East nohulumeni waseNingizimu Afrika abakhombise ukuthakasela lobu buchwepheshe.

Ukukwazi ukuhlola amasampula kungaba neqhaza elimqoka ekuhlinzekeni abantu abathatha izinqumo kuhulumeni nasezinkampanini ezizimele ukunqanda ukubhebhetheka kwe-coronavirus ngenkathi kuvulwa umnotho. Kuzosiza ukubona izinga lokubhebhetheka kwe-SARS-CoV-2, ikakhulu njengoba kwandiswa ukuhlola futhi kwanda nenqolobane yokugcina amagama abantu ezweni nokulindela nokubona izindawo i-COVID-19 engabhebhetheka kuzona ukuze kugxilwe kuzona.

Leli gumbi locwaningo lizoqhubeka ukwenza nokuphucula le migomo nokwandisa ukusebenza kwayo. Bathe ukusetshenziswa kwale ndlela yokwenza amasampula nokuhlola kuyo yonke imikhakha yomphakathi kuzonciphisa amandla obhubhane.

U-Madgwick, u-Groenink no-Bartlett bathola iziqu zabo e-UKZN. U-Madgqick uneziqu zeBScAgric kwi-Microbiology, u-Groenink wenza iziqu zokuqala ne-Onazi kwi-bhayokhemistri ne-mastazi kwisayensi yezilwane nezobudokotela kwibhayokhemistri, kanti u-Bartlett yena iziqu zakhe zokuqala ngeze-onazi neze-mastazi kwibhayokhemistri. Wathola iziqu zobudokotela kwezokwelapha ngaphakathi e-Stellenbosch University.

Amagama: ngu-Christine Cuénod

Isithombe: Sithunyelwe