With the support of the Marck Lindenberg Center at the University of Washington, Atis Muehlenbachs, ERC Provost’s Scholar, Class of 1999, recently spent five weeks in Tanzania, where he participated in the organization of an NIH workshop “Protozoan Pathogens and the Pregnant Host,” and pursued graduate studies under the auspices of the “Mother Offspring Malaria Study” at the Muheza Designated District Hospital. Atis is about half way to his Ph.D. and has two years of medical school remaining at the University of Washington. Of his experience in Tanzania, he has written:

I passionately enjoyed my time there, and I was hesitant to leave. The workshop involved an enormous amount of organization, and the most rewarding aspect was the interaction with the 20 participants, who came from eight different African countries and were eager to study parasitic diseases. Their good humor and enthusiasm were very inspirational. At the end of the day I would be exhausted and worrying about whether the curriculum was sufficient, and we would all take this beat-up bus to our residence and the participants would laugh, sing and argue whether male zebras are black with white stripes or vice versa. In the evening we would work on their research proposals.

Challenges faced were access to scientific literature, technology and supporting funds. Many of these proposals will serve as the basis for applying to grants and educational programs. Personally I learned very much about Tse Tse flies and African Trypanosomiasis. The participants have sent many group e-mails detailing their satisfaction, eagerness for future workshops and questions regarding their research.

At the rural Muheza Designated District Hospital, we worked in the newly built laboratory, and in a gutted shipping container nearby. The laboratory was well staffed and amazingly clean. Each morning the floors were swept and mopped and everyone wore sandals to keep the red dust (or mud when it rains) out of the lab. The laboratory staff had close interaction with the clinical staff composed of labor and delivery nurses, village health workers and clinical officers. Each Tuesday morning was clinic, and mothers brought in their children for measurements and blood draws. My graduate studies focus on the placenta, and I examined archived microscope slides of placental blood, many of which were filled with malaria parasites. One day a child was in the lab wreaking mild havoc. I thought at first it was a laboratory technician’s, however it turned out it was child #261!

My primary goal was to isolate cells of fetal origin from fresh placentas. The rainy season was just starting and I was not sure whether I would have the opportunity to process a placenta from a malaria-infected mother. However, one evening (we worked until 1 a.m.) a placenta arrived that was rust colored, and had brown-orange blood - I had never seen anything like it. It was a malaria-infected placenta, and I was able to obtain some very interesting cells that will hopefully lead to good data and enable me to return to Tanzania for future research. The mother was also HIV-infected. The burden of malaria and HIV is great in Tanzania, and to be able to do research on such problems is an opportunity and a calling, for which I am eager to return.

The hospital itself was beautifully maintained. Unlike hospitals I have seen in North America, chickens ran around the grounds, and waste was incinerated on site in a pit. Because I am a medical student, I was allowed to attend pediatric rounds. My impression is that when children in Tanzania get sick, they get really sick. The wards were filled with HIV cases, dehydration, malaria and tuberculosis. The doctors and nurses worked hard; however, without HIV medications, treatment is limited. When I complete my graduate studies, I look forward to completing medical school, and I do hope that some day I will be able to contribute in a meaningful manner to combat these plagues.