Expert advocates genomic tech adoption for diagnosis accuracy

A pharmaceutical microbiologist at the University of Ibadan, Prof Iruka Okeke has called for the adoption of genomic technology in Nigeria’s Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) surveillance system to enhance diagnostic accuracy.

Okeke highlighted the limitations of traditional culture-based testing in healthcare facilities, which often lack the capacity and resources to accurately identify the specific pathogens causing diseases.

According to her, bacterial infections like diarrheal diseases, sepsis, and typhoid fever will continue to claim lives yearly, except the government enhances the capacity of health systems to identify and respond to these threats effectively.

Okeke underscored the benefits of integrating genomic technology into Nigeria’s AMR surveillance framework. According to her, this approach has established a cost-effective national reference laboratory capable of validating bacterial pathogens, leading to targeted treatments, faster interventions, and advancements in vaccine development.

She warned that the overuse and misuse of antibiotics have led to the emergence of resistant bacterial strains, eroding decades of progress in treating infections. “We now have antibiotics, but we cannot guarantee their effectiveness,” Okeke said, emphasising the urgency to adopt innovative solutions.

Okeke highlighted the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of typhoid fever and the importance of conjugate vaccines, adding that genomic sequencing enables quicker diagnosis and treatment of neonatal sepsis, giving vulnerable newborns a better chance of survival.

She added that genomic sequencing not only allows for rapid, precise identification of pathogens but also improves the accuracy of diagnoses and provides insights into how bacterial strains evolve and spread.

According to the professor, collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has been instrumental in developing a national AMR surveillance framework.

She explained that sentinel laboratories across the country collect and analyse patient samples, with findings validated and centralised for outbreak monitoring and disease management, which helps to address a critical gap in healthcare by equipping professionals with actionable data to combat resistant infections.

For long-term impact, the researcher prioritises training young African scientists in genomic techniques to foster a new generation of experts in public health and microbiology.

Okeke, who is also a Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellow, is developing advanced sequencing techniques to create rapid diagnostic tools for low-resource settings. According to her, these tools show promise for a faster, more reliable detection of pathogens directly from clinical samples like blood, stool, and urine.