Prevalence of human enteroviruses among apparently healthy nursery school children in Accra

Introduction: Human enteroviruses are common in children causing asymptomatic infections ranging  from mild to severe illnesses. In Ghana, information on the prevalence of non-polio enterovirus causing  acute flaccid paralysis is available but data on surveillance of these viruses in school children is scanty. Here, the prevalence of human enteroviruses among apparently healthy children in selected school in Accra was studied.Methods: Stool samples from 273 apparently healthy children less than eight years of age in 9 selected nursery schools were collected between December 2010 and March 2011and processed for human  enteroviruses on L20B, RD and Hep-2 cell lines. Positive Isolates were characterized by microneutralisation assay with antisera pools from RIVM, the Netherlands according to standard  methods recommended by WHO. Results: Of the 273 samples processed, 66 (24.2%) non-polio enteroviruses were isolated. More growth  was seen on Hep-2C (46%) only than RD (18%) only and on both cell lines (34%). No growth was seen on  L20B even after blind passage. Excretion of non-polio enteroviruses was found in all the schools with  majority in BD school. Serotyping of the isolates yielded predominantly Coxsackie B viruses followed by echoviruses 13 and 7. More than half of the isolates could not be typed by the antisera pools.Conclusion: The study detected 13 different serotypes of non-polio enteroviruses in circulation but no poliovirus was found. BD school was found to have the highest prevalence of NPEV. Complete  identification through molecular methods is essential to establish the full range of NPEVs in circulation in these schools.Key words: Non-polio enterovirus, apparently healthy, school children, Accra

Low seroprevalence of hepatitis C among children at the Princess Marie Louis Children´s Hospital in Accra, Ghana

Hepatitis C is a leading cause of chronic hepatitis and causes severe health problems in areas where prevalence is high. Ghana is noted for a relatively high sero-prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection. However, there is very little data on prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) among children in Ghana, and what data is available indicates very low prevalence rate. We conducted a cross-sectional study to determine the sero-prevalence and associated pre-disposing risk factor for HCV infection among children attending the Princes Marie Louis Children´s Hospital in Accra. Two hundred archived blood samples from a previous study were retrieved and tested for the presence of HCV antibodies using a dipstick test kit. Out of the 200 samples tested, one (1) tested positive for HCV antibodies giving a prevalence of 0.5% among the study group. The results show that there is potentially a very low prevalence of hepatitis C among Ghanaian children. Hence, the higher prevalence among adults usually seen is often due to infection later in life. Obtaining an appropriate vaccine early in life could thus help prevent people from getting infected in later life

HIV-1 CRF 02 AG polymerase genes in Southern Ghana are mosaics of different 02 AG strains and the protease gene cannot infer subtypes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Little is known about the detailed phylogeny relationships of CRF 02_AG HIV-1 polymerase genes in Ghana. The use of the protease gene of HIV-1 for subtyping has shown conflicting results.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The partial polymerase gene sequences of 25 HIV-1 strains obtained with Viroseq reagents were aligned with reference subtypes and alignments trimmed to a 300 bp protease, 661 bp and 1005 reverse transcriptase sequence alignments. Phylogenetic relationships of these alignments were determined with the Neighbour-Joining method using 1000 replicates and recombination patterns determined for the sequences with RIP 3.0 in the HIV sequence database.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Unlike the other alignments, the protease gene had nodes with bootstrap values < 100% for repeat control sequences. Majority of the CRF 02_AG sequences from Ghana were made up of fragments of several strains of CRF 02_AG/AG strains. The protease gene alone is not suitable for phylogenetic analysis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The polymerase genes of HIV-1 strains from Ghana are made up of recombinants of several CRF 02_AG strains from Ghana, Senegal and Cameroon, but the clinical implications are unknown. Using the HIV-1 protease gene for subtyping will not infer subtypes correctly.</p

Respiratory syncytial virus genotypes circulating in urban Ghana: february to november 2006

Introduction: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major cause of acute lower respiratory tract  infection (ALRI) in young children. RSV strains have been divided into 2 major antigenic groups (A and B), which are further divided into several genotypes, but very little is known about its circulating genotypes in Ghana. This study characterized RSV genotypes detected in children with ALRI in Accra between  February and November 2006. Methods: Nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) were obtained from children diagnosed with ALRI between  February and November 2006. The NPA were screened for RSV using a nested multiplex reverse  transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method for genotyping RSV. Viral RNA was extracted from the NPA using guanidinium isothiocyanate method and purified with an RNAID commercial kit.  Care-givers gave their consent prior to specimen collection. Administered questionnaires captured  information on patient demographic and clinical history. Results: A total of 53 children were enrolled in the study with a male to female ratio of 3:1. Of the 53 NPA  analyzed, 60.4% (32/53) were positive for RSV. Subsequent genotypic analysis showed that 72% (23/32) of the 60.4% RSV infections were RSV B only and 28% (9/32) were co-infections of both RSV A and B. Children between the ages of 2 - 12 months were the most affected age group per an RSV infection rate of 37.5% (12/32). No significant difference was detected in the recovery rate of ALRI (98.1%) and RSV (96.9%) positive patients from the infection. One patient died resulting in a mortality rate of 3.1%. Bronchopneumonia (20 out of 32 cases) was the major diagnosis on admission. RSV infection was  seasonal dependent, described by 2 peaks in October and April-May.Conclusion: Both RSV A and RSV B genotypes co-circulated during the study period with RSV B  predominating. RSV may possibly be the main pathogen of lower respiratory tract illness during  epidemics in the wet seasons. Genotyping by the multiplex RT-PCR is one of the first attempts at  molecular diagnosis of RSV infection in Ghana.Key words: Respiratory syncytial viruses, lower respiratory tract infections, multiplex RT-PC

Short-term treatment outcomes in human immunodeficiency virus type-1 and hepatitis B virus co-infections

BACKGROUND: Co-infection of HIV with HBV is common in West Africa but little information is available on the effects of HBV on short-term therapy for HIV patients. A 28 day longitudinal study was conducted to examine short-term antiretroviral therapy (ART) outcomes in HIV infected individuals with HBV co-infection. METHODS: Plasma from 18 HIV infected individuals co-infected with HBV and matched controls with only HIV infection were obtained at initiation, and 7 and 28 days after ART. HIV-1 viral load changes were monitored. Clinical and demographic data were also obtained from patient folders, and HIV-1 drug resistance mutation and subtype analysis performed. RESULTS: The presence of HBV co-infection did not significantly affect HIV-1 viral load changes within 7 or 28 days. The CD4(+) counts on the other hand of patients significantly affected the magnitude of HIV-1 viral load decline after 7 days (ρ = −0.441, p = 0.040), while the pre-ART HIV-1 VL (ρ = 0.844, p = <0.001) and sex (U = 19.0, p = 0.020) also determined HIV-1 viral load outcomes after 28 days of ART. Even though the geometric sensitivity score of HIV-1 strains were influenced by the HIV-1 subtypes (U = 56.00; p = 0.036), it was not a confounder for ART outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: There may be the need to consider the confounder effects of sex, pre-ART CD4(+), and pre-ART HIV-1 viral load in the discourse on HIV and HBV co-infection

Respiratory syncytial virus genotypes circulating in urban Ghana: february to

Abstract Introduction: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRI) in young children. RSV strain

HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS, HEPATITIS B VIRUS AND SYPHILIS INFECTIONS AMONG LONGDISTANCE TRUCK DRIVERS IN, A PORT CITY IN GHANA

Background: Although the high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and syphilis infections among longdistance truck drivers has been well documented globally, such data are sparse from Africa, and there has been no such data from Ghana. This study carried out between the months of January and June 2013 sought to determine the sero-prevalence and risk factors of HIV, HBV and syphilis infections among long distance truck drivers at the Tema sea port, Ghana. Materials and Methods: Of a total of 800 eligible drivers, 106 (13.25%) drivers consented to take part in the study. Subjects voluntarily completed a risk factor questionnaire and provided blood specimen for testing for HIV, syphilis and the surface antigen of HBV (HBsAg). Results: The mean age of the drivers was 40.56 ± 11.56 years. The sero-prevalence of HIV was 0.94%, 14.2% had HBsAg and reactive syphilis serology was 3.8%. On multivariate analysis, the main determinants of HBV infection were; multiple sexual partnership (OR, 6.36; 95% CI: 1.35– 29.79), patronage of commercial sex workers (OR, 6.85; 95% CI: 0.88 – 52.89), cross-border travelers (OR: 6.89-fold, 95% CI: 0.86 - 55.55) and prolonged duration of trips for more than two weeks (OR: 4.76; 95% CI: 0.59 – 38.02). The main determinant of syphilis infection on multivariate analysis was being a Muslim (OR, 2.19; 95% CI: 0.22 – 21.74). Conclusion: The data indicate a lower sero-prevalence of HIV but a higher sero-prevalence of syphilis. However, the sero-prevalence of HBV infection is comparable to that of the general population