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The Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUH, N) has acquired the Vitek MS Prime, a technology that can identify disease-causing organisms in just 30 minutes, down from the previous 8 to 18 hours.
This advanced system uses MALDI-TOF technology to rapidly detect a wide range of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, yeast, and other hard-to-identify pathogens that cause pneumonia, meningitis, gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections, and other diseases.
Unlike its predecessor, which had limited capacity, the Vitek MS Prime can identify a much broader spectrum of disease-causing organisms such as anaerobic bacteria, filamentous fungi, and certain mycobacteria, in just minutes.
“Previously, we had to send some samples to Asia, and patients would wait weeks for results. Now, we can do this right here, in our laboratory,” said Dr. Shaheen Sayed, Chair of the Department of Pathology. “This technology accelerates diagnosis, improves accuracy, and enables timely, targeted treatment, helping curb inappropriate antibiotic use, fight antimicrobial resistance, and save patients unnecessary costs.”
The new technology makes AKUH,N the first hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa to acquire this advanced model.
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Rashid Khalani, CEO of AKUH,N, noted that this milestone underscores the hospital’s commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology and global partnerships to enhance healthcare delivery.
“As we know antimicrobial resistance is a global health issue, through this technology and project, we will be able to inform physicians and patients quickly and accurately which will help in faster diagnosis and hence faster and correct interventions,” he said.
The new installation is part of the Centre of Excellence in Microbiology and Antimicrobial Stewardship Project, a collaboration between Aga Khan University Hospital and the bioMérieux Global Academy for Medical Education.
BioMérieux is working with 14 Centres of Excellence in Microbiology around the world out of which two are in Africa. AKUH N, becomes BioMérieux’s second Centre of Excellence in Africa, with the first one based in Morocco.
“This milestone reflects our patient-centered efforts to address the growing burden of infectious diseases in the country and the region,” Mr. Khalani added.
Dr. Gunturu Revathi, Head of Clinical Microbiology at AKUH,N and Principal Investigator of the project, said that through this initiative, the facility will work with over 10 public hospitals in Kenya to train multidisciplinary teams on antimicrobial stewardship.
“The Vitek MS Prime will not only speed up diagnosis and care for our patients but will also strengthen capacity across the public healthcare system,” she said.
