Pseudomonas oryzihabitans sepsis in a 1-year-old child with multiple skin rashes: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas oryzihabitans is a Pseudomonas bacterial organism rarely implicated in human infections. The bacterium has been isolated in a few reported cases of neurosurgical infections and patients with end-stage cirrhosis, sickle cell disease, and community-acquired urinary tract infections. Limited information exists in developing countries, however, because of the lack of advanced microbiological tools for identification and characterization of this bacterium. This case report describes the isolation of a rare Pseudomonas bacterium in a patient presenting with sepsis and skin infection. CASE PRESENTATION: A 1-year-old girl was presented to a hospital in the northeastern part of Ghana with a 1-week history of pustular rashes on her scalp and neck, which occasionally ruptured, along with discharge of yellowish purulent fluid. The child is of Mole-Dagbon ethnicity and hails from the northern part of Ghana. Pseudomonas oryzihabitans was identified in the patient's blood culture using the 16S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing technique. The rash on the patient's scalp and skin resolved after continuous treatment with gentamicin while her condition improved clinically. CONCLUSIONS: This finding suggests the potential of this bacterium to cause disease in unsuspected situations and emphasizes the need to have evidence for the use of the appropriate antibiotic in clinical settings, particularly in rural settings in Africa. It also brings to the fore the unreliability of conventional methods for identification of Pseudomonas bacteria in clinical samples and thus supports the use of 16S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid in making the diagnosis

Gonococcal sepsis in a 32-year-old female: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a Gram-negative bacterium which affects the urethra, throat, rectum and cervix of patients and often associated with sexually transmitted infections. The global epidemiology of the disease is not well characterised especially in resource constraint countries due to poor diagnostic capacity and inefficient reporting systems. Although important, little is known about the propensity of this bacterium to cause sepsis in immunocompetent individuals. CASE PRESENTATION: A 32-year-old female presented with fever and generalised malaise to a rural hospital in Ghana. The patient had previously been diagnosed as having enteric fever from a neighbouring health facility. Blood and urine samples were collected from the patient and cultured using standard microbiological and molecular techniques. Neisseria gonorrhoeae was isolated from the blood which was resistant to penicillin, ciprofloxacin and cotrimoxazole. The patient recovered following ceftriaxone and azithromycin treatment. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the importance of N. gonorrhoeae in causing sepsis and emphasises the need for blood culture investigation in diagnosis of patients presenting with fever

No Evidence of Gouléako and Herbert Virus Infections in Pigs, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana

A recent report suggested that 2 novel bunyaviruses discovered in insects in Côte d’Ivoire caused lethal disease in swine in South Korea. We conducted cell culture studies and tested serum from pigs exposed to mosquitoes in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and found no evidence for infection in pigs

Detection and Prevalence Patterns of Group I Coronaviruses in Bats, Northern Germany

The virus is probably maintained on the population level by amplification and transmission in maternity colonies

Distant Relatives of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus and Close Relatives of Human Coronavirus 229E in Bats, Ghana

Hipposideros spp. bats harbor a coronavirus that shares common ancestry with human viruses

A Novel Diagnostic Target in the Hepatitis C Virus Genome

Christian Drosten and colleagues develop, validate, and make openly available a prototype hepatitis C virus assay based on the conserved 3' X-tail element, with potential for clinical use in developing countries

Respiratory viruses in children hospitalized for acute lower respiratory tract infection in Ghana

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Acute respiratory tract infections are one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among young children in developing countries. Information on the viral aetiology of acute respiratory infections in developing countries is very limited. The study was done to identify viruses associated with acute lower respiratory tract infection among children less than 5 years.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>Nasopharyngeal samples and blood cultures were collected from children less than 5 years who have been hospitalized for acute lower respiratory tract infection. Viruses and bacteria were identified using Reverse Transcriptase Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction and conventional biochemical techniques.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Out of 128 patients recruited, 33(25.88%%, 95%CI: 18.5% to 34.2%) were positive for one or more viruses. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) was detected in 18(14.1%, 95%CI: 8.5% to 21.3%) patients followed by Adenoviruses (AdV) in 13(10.2%, 95%CI: 5.5% to 16.7%), Parainfluenza (PIV type: 1, 2, 3) in 4(3.1%, 95%CI: 0.9% to 7.8%) and influenza B viruses in 1(0.8%, 95%CI: 0.0 to 4.3). Concomitant viral and bacterial co-infection occurred in two patients. There were no detectable significant differences in the clinical signs, symptoms and severity for the various pathogens isolated. A total of 61.1% (22/36) of positive viruses were detected during the rainy season and Respiratory Syncytial Virus was the most predominant.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study has demonstrated an important burden of respiratory viruses as major causes of childhood acute respiratory infection in a tertiary health institution in Ghana. The data addresses a need for more studies on viral associated respiratory tract infection.</p

Henipavirus RNA in African Bats

BACKGROUND: Henipaviruses (Hendra and Nipah virus) are highly pathogenic members of the family Paramyxoviridae. Fruit-eating bats of the Pteropus genus have been suggested as their natural reservoir. Human Henipavirus infections have been reported in a region extending from Australia via Malaysia into Bangladesh, compatible with the geographic range of Pteropus. These bats do not occur in continental Africa, but a whole range of other fruit bats is encountered. One of the most abundant is Eidolon helvum, the African Straw-coloured fruit bat. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Feces from E. helvum roosting in an urban setting in Kumasi/Ghana were tested for Henipavirus RNA. Sequences of three novel viruses in phylogenetic relationship to known Henipaviruses were detected. Virus RNA concentrations in feces were low. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The finding of novel putative Henipaviruses outside Australia and Asia contributes a significant extension of the region of potential endemicity of one of the most pathogenic virus genera known in humans

Evidence for Novel Hepaciviruses in Rodents

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is among the most relevant causes of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Research is complicated by a lack of accessible small animal models. The systematic investigation of viruses of small mammals could guide efforts to establish such models, while providing insight into viral evolutionary biology. We have assembled the so-far largest collection of small-mammal samples from around the world, qualified to be screened for bloodborne viruses, including sera and organs from 4,770 roden

Palp ratio as a field identification tool for two members of the Anopheles gambiae complex in Ghana (A. melas and A. gambiae)

Abstract Background The Anopheles gambiae Giles complex is the most widely studied and the most important insect vector group. We explored the use of the palp ratio method as a field tool to identify A. melas and A. gambiae in Ghana. Methods Human landing catches were conducted to collect mosquitoes in the coastal area of Western Region of Ghana. Palps were removed and segments 3 and 4 + 5 measured using a compound microscope. DNA extraction and downstream PCR for species identification was carried out using the legs and wings. Known A. gambiae collected from the Ashanti Region of Ghana were used for comparison. Results A total of 2120 A. gambiae were collected. Lengths of segments 3 and 4 + 5 were significantly correlated in samples from both regions. Using a palp ratio of 0.81 as the cut-off value, 14.9 % outliers (≥0.81) from our study area were confirmed by PCR as A. melas. PCR also confirmed outliers from the Ashanti Region with palp ratio < 0.81 (10.2 %) as A. gambiae. Conclusion The palp ratio method proved to be a useful tool to identify populations of salt and freshwater A. melas and A. gambiae