Applying SNP marker technology in the cacao breeding programme in Ghana

In this investigation 45 parental cacao plants and five progeny derived from the parental stock studied were genotyped using six SNP markers to determine off-types or mislabeled clones and to authenticate crosses made in the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) breeding programme. Investigation was based on the 5\u2019 nuclease SNPassay using Illustra Hot Start mix Ready-To-Go PCR strips and BioTek FLx800TBP Fluorescence Microplate Reader. In a group of six cacao plants labeled as PA150 clones and another five labeled as Pound7, one clone in each group was unambiguously determined as off-type or mislabeled. Similarly, in a cohort of 23 PA7 "clones", four genotypes were differentiated. Cross-checking the fidelity of five progeny from the parental stock under study, it was established that no errors were made in the crossing. The most significant outcome of this study, however, was that out of the four categories of 23 PA7 candidate parental trees only one category can be comparable to the reference clone in the International Cacao Germplasm collection, Trinidad (ICG,T); thus informing the need for further work to find the correct clone among these for the breeding programme. It was thus concluded that thissimple yet cutting-edge genotyping procedure can be used in applied cocoa breeding programmes in a cocoa producing country. This work represents a first step in the genotypic characterisation of the CRIG germplasm collection and Seed Gardens.Au cours de cette recherche, 45 plants de cacao parentaux et 5 descendants d\ue9rivant du stock parental ont \ue9t\ue9 g\ue9notyp\ue9 en utilisant 6 marqueurs SNP, afin de d\ue9terminer les clones mal \ue9tiquet\ue9s et d\u2019authentifier les croisements effectu\ue9s dans le programme d\u2019am\ue9lioration de l\u2019Institut de Recherche sur le Cacao au Ghana (CRIG). Cette \ue9tude a \ue9t\ue9 bas\ue9e sur les 5' nucl\ue9ases SNP en utilisant des bandes PCR "Hot Start mix Ready-To-Go PCR strips" et un Lecteur Microplat \ue0 Fluorescence "BioTek FLx800TBP". Au sein d\u2019un groupe de six plants de cacao \ue9tiquet\ue9 PA150 et d\u2019un autre groupe de cinq \ue9tiquet\ue9 Pound 7, il a \ue9t\ue9 d\ue9termin\ue9 sans ambigu\ueft\ue9 qu\u2019un clone par groupe \ue9tait mal \ue9tiquet\ue9. De fa\ue7on similaire, quatre g\ue9notypes diff\ue9rents ont \ue9t\ue9 identifi\ue9s dans une m\ueame cohorte de clones 23PA7. En v\ue9rifiant la fid\ue9lit\ue9 de cinq descendants issus du stock parental \ue9tudi\ue9, il a \ue9t\ue9 \ue9tabli qu\u2019aucune erreur n\u2019avait \ue9t\ue9 faite lors du croisement. Le r\ue9sultat le plus significatif de cette \ue9tude a \ue9t\ue9 que, sur quatre cat\ue9gories de 23 candidats PA7 de souches parentales, une seule pouvait \ueatre comparable au clone de r\ue9f\ue9rence dans la collection Internationale du Germoplasme de Cacao, Trinidad (ICG,T), d\ue9montrant ainsi la n\ue9cessit\ue9 de travaux suppl\ue9mentaires pour d\ue9terminer le clone exact parmi ceux \ue9voqu\ue9s pr\ue9c\ue9demment. Il a ainsi \ue9t\ue9 conclu que cette m\ue9thode avant-gardiste de g\ue9notypage, pourtantsimple, peut \ueatre utilis\ue9e dans les programmes appliqu\ue9s d\u2019am\ue9lioration du cacao dans un pays producteur. Ce travail repr\ue9sente une premi\ue8re \ue9tape dans la caract\ue9risation g\ue9n\ue9tique de la collection du germoplasme CRIG et jardins semenciers

Ghana 3D Telemedicine International MDT : A proof-of-concept study

A real-time 3D Telemedicine system – leveraging Microsoft's Holoportation™ communication technology – enabled an international multidisciplinary team meeting (MDT) to consult with complex reconstructive patients before, during, and after an overseas surgical collaboration. Methods: A proof-of-concept international 3D MDT clinic took place in November 2022, between the Canniesburn Plastic Surgery Unit, UK, and the National Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana. The 3D system was utilised 1) previsit to assess patients and enable logistical planning, 2) on-site in Ghana to further allow patients to see themselves and proposed operations in 3D, and 3) post visit to debrief the team and patients. Results: Four Ghana patients were followed through their patient journey (mandibular ameloblastoma, sarcoma thigh, maxillary tumour, sarcoma back). Thirteen participants (four patients, four Ghana clinicians, and five UK clinicians) completed feedback on the 3D MDT. Outcome measures were rated highly with satisfaction 84.31/100, perceived benefit 4.54/5, overall quality 127.3/147 (Telehealth Usability Questionnaire), and usability 83.2/100 (System Usability Scale). These data show close alignment with that previously published on high-income countries. Conclusions: This novel technology has the potential to enhance the delivery of overseas surgical visits to low-to-middle-income countries, by improving planning, informed discussion with patients, expert consensus on complex cases, and fostering engagement with professionals who may be thousands of miles away. This is the first demonstration that real-time 3D Telemedicine can both work, and enhance care within an international MDT clinic, and may thus enable change in the approach to overseas surgical collaborations

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Transmission in a Ghanaian Burn Unit:The Importance of Active Surveillance in Resource-Limited Settings

Objectives:Staphylococcus aureus infections in burn patients can lead to serious complications and death. The frequency of S. aureus infection is high in low- and middle-income countries presumably due to limited resources, misuse of antibiotics and poor infection control. The objective of the present study was to apply population genomics to precisely define, for the first time, the transmission of antibiotic resistant S. aureus in a resource-limited setting in sub-Saharan Africa.Methods:Staphylococcus aureus surveillance was performed amongst burn patients and healthcare workers during a 7-months survey within the burn unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana.Results: Sixty-six S. aureus isolates (59 colonizing and 7 clinical) were obtained from 31 patients and 10 healthcare workers. Twenty-one of these isolates were ST250-IV methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Notably, 25 (81%) of the 31 patients carried or were infected with S. aureus within 24 h of admission. Genome comparisons revealed six distinct S. aureus clones circulating in the burn unit, and demonstrated multiple transmission events between patients and healthcare workers. Further, the collected S. aureus isolates exhibited a wide range of genotypic resistances to antibiotics, including trimethoprim (21%), aminoglycosides (33%), oxacillin (33%), chloramphenicol (50%), tetracycline (59%) and fluoroquinolones (100%).Conclusion: Population genomics uncovered multiple transmission events of S. aureus, especially MRSA, within the investigated burn unit. Our findings highlight lapses in infection control and prevention, and underscore the great importance of active surveillance to protect burn victims against multi-drug resistant pathogens in resource-limited settings

Participatory Development of a 3D Telemedicine system during Covid: the future of remote consultations

Background: The Covid pandemic brought the need for more realistic remote consultations into focus. 2D telemedicine solutions fail to replicate the fluency or authenticity of in-person consultations. This research reports on an international collaboration on the participatory development and first validated clinical use of a novel, real-time 360-degree 3D Telemedicine system worldwide. Development of the system - leveraging Microsoft's HoloportationTM communication technology – commenced at Canniesburn Plastic Surgery Unit, Glasgow in March 2020. Methods: Research followed VR CORE guidelines on development of Digital Health trials, placing patients at the heart of the development process. This consisted of three separate studies - a clinician feedback study (23 clinicians, Nov-Dec 2020), a patient feedback study (26 patients, Jul-Oct 2021), and a cohort study focusing on safety and reliability (40 patients, Oct 2021 - Mar 2022). “Lose, Keep and Change” feedback prompts were used to engage patients in the development process and guide incremental improvements. Results: Participatory testing demonstrated improved patient metrics with 3D in comparison to 2D Telemedicine, including validated measures of satisfaction (p<0.0001), realism or ‘presence’ (Single Item Presence scale, p<0.0001), and quality (Telehealth Usability Questionnaire, p=0.0002). Safety and clinical concordance (95%) of 3D Telemedicine with a face-to-face consultation were equivalent or exceeded estimates for 2D Telemedicine. Conclusions: One of the ultimate goals of telemedicine is for the quality of remote consultations to get closer to the experience of face-to-face consultations. These data provide the first evidence that HoloportationTM communication technology brings 3D telemedicine closer to this goal than a 2D equivalent

Participatory development of a 3D telemedicine system during COVID : the future of remote consultations

The COVID pandemic brought the need for more realistic remote consultations into focus. 2D Telemedicine solutions fail to replicate the fluency or authenticity of in-person consultations. This research reports on an international collaboration on the participatory development and first validated clinical use of a novel, real-time 360-degree 3D Telemedicine system worldwide. The development of the system - leveraging Microsoft's Holoportation™ communication technology - commenced at the Canniesburn Plastic Surgery Unit, Glasgow, in March 2020. The research followed the VR CORE guidelines on the development of digital health trials, placing patients at the heart of the development process. This consisted of three separate studies - a clinician feedback study (23 clinicians, Nov-Dec 2020), a patient feedback study (26 patients, Jul-Oct 2021), and a cohort study focusing on safety and reliability (40 patients, Oct 2021-Mar 2022). "Lose, Keep, and Change" feedback prompts were used to engage patients in the development process and guide incremental improvements. Participatory testing demonstrated improved patient metrics with 3D in comparison to 2D Telemedicine, including validated measures of satisfaction (

Efficacy of screening methods used in breeding for black pod disease resistance varieties in cocoa

Black pod is an important fungal disease of cocoa ( Theobroma cacao L.) that causes severe yield losses. The disease affects the pods, beans, flower cushions, leaves, stems and roots. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of resistance screening methods used in breeding black pod disease resistance in cocoa. The resistance of cocoa leaves and pods to Phytophthora palmivora was investigated in twenty five international genotypes of cocoa in five laboratory experiments and a field observation at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana. A significant clonal difference for leaf and pod resistance was observed at penetration and post-penetration stages of infection. Correlation between resistance of leaves and pods was positive and significant at both penetration and post-penetration stages of infection. The occurrence of such a characteristic of cocoa leaf suggests the value of use of leaves of cocoa seedlings for the prediction of pod resistance to black pod disease. The reliability of the tests was evaluated by correlating results of the inoculation tests with the level of field infection. These correlations were generally positive and significant, both for detached pod and leaf tests. The high positive correlation between detached leaves and pods and natural Phytophthora pod rot infection in the field showed that detached organs can be used for prediction of resistance in the field. Overall, for the convenience of operations and reliability of results, leaf disc test was the best screening method and was also time saving. Clones SCA 6, T85/799, LAF1, ICS 1 and GU 225V were noted to be promising for breeding against black pod disease. The susceptible clones were MO 20, T79/501, VENC 4-4, PA 120 and MOCORONGO.La gousse noire est une maladie fongique importante du cacao ( Theobroma cacao L.) qui cause des pertes de rendement énormes. La maladie affecte les cabosses, des fèves, des coussins de fleurs, feuilles, les tiges et les racines. L'objectif de cette étude était d'évaluer l'efficacité des méthodes de sélection utilisées dans la résistance aux maladies de gousse noir dans le processus d'amélioration du cacao. La résistance des feuilles et gousses du cacao au Phytophthora palmivora avait fait l'objet d'une investigation sur vingt-cinq génotypes internationaux du cacao dans cinq expériences de laboratoire et dans une observation de champ à l'Institut de Recherche sur le Cacao au Ghana. Une différence clonale significative pour la résistance de la feuille et de la gousse avait été observée aux stades de pénétration et post-pénétration de l'infection. La corrélation entre la résistance des feuilles et les gousses était positive et significative aussi bien au stade de pénétration qu'au stade de post-pénétration au cours de l'infection. L'apparition d'une telle caractéristique de la feuille du cacao suggère la valeur de l'utilisation des feuilles de plantules du cacao dans la prédiction de la résistance de gousse aux maladies de gousse noire. La fiabilité des tests avait été évaluée par la corrélation des résultats des tests d'inoculation avec le degrée d'infection du champ. Ces corrélations étaient généralement positives et significatives, tant pour la gousse détachée que pour les tests de la feuille. La haute corrélation positive entre les feuilles détachées et les gousses, ainsi que l'infection de la pourriture naturelle des gousses par Phytophthora dans le champ avaient montré que les organes détachés peuvent être utilisés pour la prédiction de la résistance au champ. En général, pour la commodité des opérations et la fiabilité des résultats, le test de disque de feuille a été la meilleure méthode de sélection et avait été également économiser du temps. Clones SCA 6, T85/799, LAF1, ICS 1 et GU 225V s'étaient révéles être les clones prometteuses pour l'hybridation contre la maladie de la gousse noire. Les clones sensibles étaient MO 20, T79/501, VENC 4-4, PA 120 et MOCORONGO

Influence of the position of detached cocoa pod inoculated with phytophthora palmivora on the development of lesion number and lesion size

An experiment was conducted at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) to determine if there were any interactions between Phytophthora infection at the distal, proximal and mid-region positions of cocoa pods. The number and size of lesions in nine different cocoa clones were counted and measured at the three different positions of the pod. There were significant differences (

Assessment of genetic diversity and population structure in West African cocoa : a case study on collections from Ghana

Theobroma cacao L. with its center of diversity in Central and South America was first introduced to West Africa in the mid-19th century and today the region produces 70% of the world's cocoa. Several distinct cocoa types have been introduced, cultivated, and intercrossed across the region. Also, bi-parental crosses involving selections from various introductions have been planted on a large scale. Consequently, a wide range of genetic diversity that could be exploited for crop improvement is expected. The present study has been, therefore, undertaken to assess the degree and distribution of genetic diversity present in cocoa germplasm collections from the Cocoa Research Institute (CRIG), seed gardens and materials from farmers' plantations in Ghana, using molecular markers. Two hundred and thirty-five trees representing all the cocoa-growing regions of Ghana were sampled in situ from farmers' fields and grouped as farmers' collection. Another set of 104 trees was collected from breeders' seed gardens, called breeders' collection. Thirty-eight parental clones from the CRIG's collection, used in producing the bi-parental crosses, comprised the third category, called parental clones. The collections were screened with the set of 17 mapped microsatellite markers. Average gene diversity was high in all populations, with mean observed heterozygosity of 0.738. Although the highest was recorded in accessions from breeders' and parental collections, genetic diversity in the farmers' collection was comparable with them. Despite the low level of differentiation [Fst = 0.076] found across all the three groups, sufficient genetic differences existed between them, separating breeders' collection from farmers' collection. The study also revealed the pattern of adoption of available planting materials by farmers on their fields