Risk of Heavy Metal Poisoning From Consuming Grasscutter Digesta in Ghana

Grasscutter (cane rat/ Thryonomys swinderianus ) digesta is used as a spice in Ghana. Research shows that heavy metals from the environment may accumulate in the internal organs of grasscutters, which raises concerns about the possible contamination of grasscutter digesta, too, with heavy metals. Although grasscutter meat in Ghana has been described as safe for consumption, information is lacking on the health risks associated with ingesting the digesta. This study, therefore, aimed to assess the knowledge and perceptions of a merchant and a consumer about the safety of ingesting grasscutter digesta and to evaluate potential health risks from exposure to heavy metals from the spice. A total of 12 digesta samples were analyzed to evaluate potential health risks from exposure to Cd, Fe, Hg, and Mn using a Varian AA240FS Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. The levels of Cd, Hg, and Mn were below the detection limit of 0.01 mg/kg digesta. Also, the estimated daily intake of Fe (0.02 mg/kg) was less than the maximum allowable dose recommended by the US EPA (0.7 mg/kg). The hazard indices of Fe for daily and weekly consumption were <1, suggesting that the consumers may be safe from iron poisoning. Because grasscutter digesta is a relatively expensive spice, it is unlikely to be consumed daily by the average Ghanaian. Moreover, if 10 g of digesta is consumed daily, it can be safely ingested about 971 times in a month. Domestication of grasscutters may be a useful approach to monitor their diet and consequently the quality of their digesta

Cohort study of the association of antibody levels to AMA1, MSP119, MSP3 and GLURP with protection from clinical malaria in Ghanaian children.

BACKGROUND: Antigen-specific antibody-mediated immune responses play an important role in natural protection against clinical malaria, but conflicting estimates of this association have emerged from immuno-epidemiological studies in different geographical settings. This study was aimed at assessing in a standardized manner the relationship between the antibody responses to four malaria vaccine candidate antigens and protection from clinical malaria, in a cohort of Ghanaian children. METHODS: Standardized ELISA protocols were used to measure isotype and IgG subclass levels to Apical Membrane Antigen 1 (AMA1), Merozoite Surface Protein 1-19 (MSP119), Merozoite Surface Protein 3 (MSP3) and Glutamate Rich Protein (GLURP) antigens in plasma samples from 352 Ghanaian children, aged three to 10 years with subsequent malaria surveillance for nine months. This is one of a series of studies in different epidemiological settings using the same standardized ELISA protocols to permit comparisons of results from different laboratories. RESULTS: The incidence rate of malaria was 0.35 episodes per child per year. Isotype and IgG subclasses for all antigens investigated increased with age, while the risk of malaria decreased with age. After adjusting for age, higher levels of IgG to GLURP, MSP119, MSP3 and IgM to MSP119, MSP3 and AMA1 were associated with decreased malaria incidence. Of the IgG subclasses, only IgG1 to MSP119 was associated with reduced incidence of clinical malaria. A previous study in the same location failed to find an association of antibodies to MSP119 with clinical malaria. The disagreement may be due to differences in reagents, ELISA and analytical procedures used in the two studies. When IgG, IgM and IgG subclass levels for all four antigens were included in a combined model, only IgG1 [(0.80 (0.67-0.97), p = 0.018)] and IgM [(0.48 (0.32-0.72), p < 0.001)] to MSP119 were independently associated with protection from malaria. CONCLUSION: Using standardized procedures, the study has confirmed the importance of antibodies to MSP119 in reducing the risk of clinical malaria in Ghanaian children, thus substantiating its potential as a malaria vaccine candidate

Cohort study of the association of antibody levels to AMA1, MSP1, MSP3 and GLURP with protection from clinical malaria in Ghanaian children-3

rate) is shown as a line graph.<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Cohort study of the association of antibody levels to AMA1, MSP1, MSP3 and GLURP with protection from clinical malaria in Ghanaian children"</p><p>http://www.malariajournal.com/content/7/1/142</p><p>Malaria Journal 2008;7():142-142.</p><p>Published online 29 Jul 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2529305.</p><p></p

Cohort study of the association of antibody levels to AMA1, MSP1, MSP3 and GLURP with protection from clinical malaria in Ghanaian children-0

rate) is shown as a line graph.<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Cohort study of the association of antibody levels to AMA1, MSP1, MSP3 and GLURP with protection from clinical malaria in Ghanaian children"</p><p>http://www.malariajournal.com/content/7/1/142</p><p>Malaria Journal 2008;7():142-142.</p><p>Published online 29 Jul 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2529305.</p><p></p

Cohort study of the association of antibody levels to AMA1, MSP1, MSP3 and GLURP with protection from clinical malaria in Ghanaian children-2

Tively. The line shows the LOESS smoothed estimate of the geometric mean.<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Cohort study of the association of antibody levels to AMA1, MSP1, MSP3 and GLURP with protection from clinical malaria in Ghanaian children"</p><p>http://www.malariajournal.com/content/7/1/142</p><p>Malaria Journal 2008;7():142-142.</p><p>Published online 29 Jul 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2529305.</p><p></p