12 results on '"Shirley C. Nimo-Paintsil"'
Search Results
2. Decreased influenza activity during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana, 2020
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Ivy Asantewaa Asante, Stephen Ofori Nyarko, Yaw Awuku-Larbi, Richard Asomadu Obeng, Gifty Mawuli Sarpong, Esinam Aku Apefa Amenuvor, Mildred Adusei-Poku, Linda Boatemaa, Vanessa Magnusen, Jennifer Wutsika, Samuel Ago, Lorreta Kwasah, Juliet Wordui, Roberta Aprilyn Tackie, Dennis Odai Laryea, Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, William Asiedu, Daniel Lartei Mingle, Edward Owusu Nyarko, Anne Fox, Shirley C. Nimo-Paintsil, Naiki Attram, Terrel Sanders, and William Kwabena Ampofo
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influenza activity ,COVID-19 ,pandemic ,surveillance ,Ghana ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 - Abstract
IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic had a significant effect on influenza activity globally. In this study, we analyzed trends of influenza activity in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study using active prospective influenza surveillance data from 29 sentinel sites. At the sentinel sites, we enrolled patients presenting with symptoms based on the WHO case definition for influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI). Oro and nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from patients and tested for the presence of influenza viruses using specific primers and probes described by the US-CDC. The percentage of positivity for influenza between 2017–2019 and 2021 was compared to 2020. Using the test for proportions in STATA 17.0 we estimated the difference in influenza activities between two periods.Results and discussionInfluenza activity occurred in a single wave during the 2020 surveillance season into 2021, September 28 2020–March 7 2021 (week 40, 2020–week 9, 2021). Influenza activity in 2020 was significantly lower compared to previous years (2017– 2019, 2021). Influenza A (H3) was more commonly detected during the early part of the year (December 30, 2019–March 8, 2020), while influenza B Victoria was more commonly detected toward the end of the year (September 28–December 28). In Ghana, adherence to the community mitigation strategies introduced to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2, which affected the transmission of other infectious diseases, may have also impacted the transmission of influenza. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in Ghana to describe the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on influenza activity. The continuation and strict adherence to the non-pharmaceutical interventions at the community level can help reduce influenza transmission in subsequent seasons.
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- 2024
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3. Ticks and prevalence of tick-borne pathogens from domestic animals in Ghana
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Shirley C. Nimo-Paintsil, Mba Mosore, Seth Offei Addo, Taylor Lura, Janice Tagoe, Danielle Ladzekpo, Charlotte Addae, Ronald E. Bentil, Eric Behene, Courage Dafeamekpor, Victor Asoala, Anne Fox, Chaselynn M. Watters, Jeffrey W. Koehler, Randy J. Schoepp, Hanayo Arimoto, Samuel Dadzie, Andrew Letizia, and Joseph W. Diclaro
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Tick-borne pathogens ,Livestock ,Ghana ,West Africa ,Infectious and parasitic diseases ,RC109-216 - Abstract
Abstract Background Ticks are important vectors of various pathogenic protozoa, bacteria and viruses that cause serious and life-threatening illnesses in humans and animals worldwide. Estimating tick-borne pathogen prevalence in tick populations is necessary to delineate how geographical differences, environmental variability and host factors influence pathogen prevalence and transmission. This study identified ticks and tick-borne pathogens in samples collected from June 2016 to December 2017 at seven sites within the Coastal, Sudan and Guinea savanna ecological zones of Ghana. Methods A total of 2016 ticks were collected from domestic animals including cattle, goats and dogs. Ticks were morphologically identified and analysed for pathogens such as Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), Alkhurma haemorrhagic fever virus (AHFV), Rickettsia spp. and Coxiella burnetii using polymerase chain reaction assays (PCR) and sequence analysis. Results Seven species were identified, with Amblyomma variegatum (60%) most frequently found, followed by Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (21%), Rhipicephalus spp. (9%), Hyalomma truncatum (6%), Hyalomma rufipes (3%), Rhipicephalus evertsi (1%) and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) sp. (0.1%). Out of 912 pools of ticks tested, Rickettsia spp. and Coxiella burnetii DNA was found in 45.6% and 16.7% of pools, respectively, whereas no CCHFV or AHFV RNA were detected. Co-infection of bacterial DNA was identified in 9.6% of tick pools, with no statistical difference among the ecozones studied. Conclusions Based on these data, humans and animals in these ecological zones are likely at the highest risk of exposure to rickettsiosis, since ticks infected with Rickettsia spp. displayed the highest rates of infection and co-infection with C. burnetii, compared to other tick-borne pathogens in Ghana. Graphical Abstract
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- 2022
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4. Molecular confirmation of Lassa fever imported into Ghana
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Joseph H.K. Bonney, Edward O. Nyarko, Sally-Ann Ohene, Joseph Amankwa, Ralph K. Ametepi, Shirley C. Nimo-Paintsil, Badu Sarkodie, Prince Agbenohevi, Michael Adjabeng, Nicholas N.A. Kyei, Samuel Bel-Nono, and William K. Ampofo
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Lassa fever ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 ,Medicine (General) ,R5-920 - Abstract
Background: Recent reports have shown an expansion of Lassa virus from the area where it was first isolated in Nigeria to other areas of West Africa. Two Ghanaian soldiers on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Liberia were taken ill with viral haemorrhagic fever syndrome following the death of a sick colleague and were referred to a military hospital in Accra, Ghana, in May 2013. Blood samples from the soldiers and five asymptomatic close contacts were subjected to laboratory investigations. Objective: We report the results of these investigations to highlight the importance of molecular diagnostic applications and the need for heightened awareness about Lassa fever in West Africa. Methods: We used molecular assays on sera from the two patients to identify the causativeorganism. Upon detection of positive signals for Lassa virus ribonucleic material by two differentpolymerase chain reaction assays, sequencing and phylogenetic analyses were performed. Results: The presence of Lassa virus in the soldiers’ blood samples was shown by L-gene segment homology to be the Macenta and las803792 strains previously isolated in Liberia, with close relationships then confirmed by phylogenetic tree construction. The five asymptomatic close contacts were negative for Lassa virus. Conclusions: The Lassa virus strains identified in the two Ghanaian soldiers had molecular epidemiological links to strains from Liberia. Lassa virus was probably responsible for the outbreak of viral haemorrhagic fever in the military camp. These data confirm Lassa fever endemicity in West Africa.
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- 2016
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5. Rodent-borne infections in rural Ghanaian farming communities.
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Shirley C Nimo-Paintsil, Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet, Benny Borremans, Andrew G Letizia, Emad Mohareb, Joseph H K Bonney, Kwasi Obiri-Danso, William K Ampofo, Randal J Schoepp, and Karl C Kronmann
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Rodents serve as reservoirs and/or vectors for several human infections of high morbidity and mortality in the tropics. Population growth and demographic shifts over the years have increased contact with these mammals, thereby increasing opportunities for disease transmission. In Africa, the burden of rodent-borne diseases is not well described. To investigate human seroprevalence of selected rodent-borne pathogens, sera from 657 healthy adults in ten rural communities in Ghana were analyzed. An in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to Lassa virus was positive in 34 (5%) of the human samples. Using commercial kits, antibodies to hantavirus serotypes, Puumala and Dobrava, and Leptospira bacteria were detected in 11%, 12% and 21% of the human samples, respectively. Forty percent of residents in rural farming communities in Ghana have measurable antibodies to at least one of the rodent-borne pathogens tested, including antibodies to viral hemorrhagic fever viruses. The high seroprevalence found in rural Ghana to rodent-borne pathogens associated with both sporadic cases and larger disease outbreaks will help define disease threats and inform public health policy to reduce disease burden in underserved populations and deter larger outbreaks.
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- 2019
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6. Correction: Rodent-borne infections in rural Ghanaian farming communities.
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Shirley C Nimo-Paintsil, Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet, Benny Borremans, Andrew G Letizia, Emad Mohareb, Joseph H K Bonney, Kwasi Obiri-Danso, William K Ampofo, Randal J Schoepp, and Karl C Kronmann
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Medicine ,Science - Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215224.].
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- 2019
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7. Chikungunya viruses containing the A226V mutation detected retrospectively in Cameroon form a new geographical subclade
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Clara Yeboah, Heather Coatsworth, Joseph H.K. Bonney, Fredy Brice N. Simo, Mba Tihssommah Mosore, Selassie Kumordjie, Anne Fox, Bright Agbodzi, Rhoel R. Dinglasan, Sophie M. Colston, William Ampofo, Michael R. Wiley, Karla Prieto, Ronald Essah Bentil, Andrew G. Letizia, Shirley C. Nimo-Paintsil, David M. Wolfe, Maurice Demanou, Naiki Attram, and Francine Berlange Sado Yousseu
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Microbiology (medical) ,E1-A226V ,Aedes albopictus ,Mosquito Vectors ,Infectious and parasitic diseases ,RC109-216 ,Biology ,medicine.disease_cause ,Arbovirus ,Disease Outbreaks ,Aedes ,Genotype ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Chikungunya ,Cameroon ,Clade ,Phylogeny ,Retrospective Studies ,Outbreak ,virus diseases ,Subclade ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Virology ,Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) ,Infectious Diseases ,Mutation ,Chikungunya Fever ,Host adaptation ,Chikungunya virus ,New Central African Clade (nCAC) - Abstract
Background Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a re-emerging arbovirus associated with sporadic outbreaks in Cameroon since 2006. Viral whole genomes were generated to analyze the origins of evolutionary lineages, the potential of emergence/re-emergence, and to infer transmission dynamics of recent Cameroon CHIKV outbreak strains. Methods Samples collected between 2016 and 2019 during CHIKV outbreaks in Cameroon were screened for CHIKV using reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), followed by whole genome sequencing of positive samples. Results Three coding-complete CHIKV genomes were obtained from samples, which belong to an emerging sub-lineage of the East/Central/South African genotype and formed a monophyletic taxon with previous Central African strains. This clade, which we have named the new Central African clade, appears to be evolving at 3.0 × 10−4 nucleotide substitutions per site per year (95% highest posterior density (HPD) interval of 1.94 × 10−4 to 4.1 × 10−4). Notably, mutations in the envelope proteins (E1-A226V, E2-L210Q, and E2-I211T), which are known to enhance CHIKV adaptability and infectious potential in Aedes albopictus, were present in all strains and mapped to established high-density Ae. albopictus populations. Conclusions These new CHIKV strains constitute a conserved genomic pool of an emerging sub-lineage, reflecting a putative vector host adaptation to Ae. albopictus, which has practically displaced Aedes aegypti from select regions of Cameroon.
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- 2021
8. Commensalism outweighs phylogeographical structure in its effect on phenotype of a Sudanian savanna rodent
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Ondřej Mikula, Shirley C. Nimo-Paintsil, Sama Gagaré, Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet, Christiane Denys, Ayodeji Olayemi, Gauthier Dobigny, Violaine Nicolas, Zbyszek Boratyński, Josef Bryja, Rainer Hutterer, Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB ), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université des Antilles (UA), Origine, structure et évolution de la biodiversité, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations (UMR CBGP), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), Département Formation Recherche, Centre Régional AGRHYMET (CRA), Section of Mammals, Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences [Prague] (ASCR), Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IVB / CAS), Czech Academy of Sciences [Prague] (CAS), Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IAPG / CAS), University of South Bohemia, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université des Antilles (UA), Universidade do Porto, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO-InBio), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [France-Sud])-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Ecole Polytechnique d'Abomey Calavi (EPAC), University of Abomey Calavi (UAC), Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine - Bernhard-Nocht-Institut für Tropenmedizin [Hamburg, Germany] (BNITM), U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit-3, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit, Department of Botany and Zoology [Brno] (SCI / MUNI), Faculty of Science [Brno] (SCI / MUNI), Masaryk University [Brno] (MUNI)-Masaryk University [Brno] (MUNI), This study was supported by the SYNTHESYS programme (FR-TAF-3697 to O.M.), the Czech Science Foundation (CSF, project no. 15-20229S to J.B.), the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response (GEIS) of the US Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC, C0238_10_ N3, C0435_11_N3 and C0687_ 12_N3 to S.C.), the European Foundation Initiative for African Research into Neglected Tropical Diseases (EFINTD, grants 1/85/022 and 89 540 to A.O.) and the German Research Foundation (DFG, and grant FI 1781/2-1 to E.F.-C.). The research in Mauritania (by Z.B.) was approved by the Ministere Delegue aupres du Premier Ministre Charge de l'Environnement et du Developpement durable of Mauritania (no. 227, 8 November 2012) and was supported by the National Geographic Foundation (grant GEFNE53-12).
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0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,Mitochondrial DNA ,commensalism ,Rodent ,Lineage (evolution) ,[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] ,Sudanian savanna ,phylogeography ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Ecological speciation ,03 medical and health sciences ,Praomys ,biology.animal ,Clade ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS ,biology ,species differentiation ,Sudanian ,Commensalism ,biology.organism_classification ,savanna ,Phylogeography ,030104 developmental biology ,Evolutionary biology ,rodents - Abstract
The murid rodent Praomys daltoni is widespread in Sudanian savanna and woodlands of West Africa, and previous study of mitochondrial DNA variability suggested that it encompasses the phenotypically (small, grey-bellied) and ecologically (commensal) distinct form, Praomys derooi. Here, we comprehensively examined the genetic and morphological diversity within the complex. Six mitochondrial lineages showed a fine-scale phylogeographical pattern, whereas delimitation based on nuclear loci pooled four of them into a single widespread unit. A newly discovered lineage from southern Mauritania stands apart from the rest of the complex and might represent an unrecognized species. At the same time, the internal position of P. derooi (C2 mitochondrial lineage) was confirmed by the multilocus analysis. The magnitude of genetic distances between major phylogeographical lineages was typical for interspecific divergence in other clades of Praomys, despite the little differences among them in morphology (skull and upper molar row shapes). The most pronounced morphological shift was associated with a transition to commensalism, especially in P. derooi, but also in other lineages. This makes the whole complex a suitable model for the study of phenotypic novelty, the evolution of commensalism and conditions for ecological speciation.
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- 2020
9. Rodent-borne infections in rural Ghanaian farming communities
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Joseph H.K. Bonney, Shirley C. Nimo-Paintsil, Emad Mohareb, Karl Kronmann, Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet, William Ampofo, Benny Borremans, Andrew G. Letizia, Randal J. Schoepp, and Kwasi Obiri-Danso
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Adult ,Male ,Rural Population ,Orthohantavirus ,Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral ,Adolescent ,Hantavirus Infections ,Science ,Rodentia ,Biology ,Disease Vectors ,medicine.disease_cause ,Antibodies, Viral ,Ghana ,Viral hemorrhagic fever ,Underserved Population ,Young Adult ,Lassa Fever ,Seroepidemiologic Studies ,Environmental health ,Zoonoses ,medicine ,Seroprevalence ,Animals ,Humans ,Leptospirosis ,Lassa virus ,Disease burden ,Hantavirus ,Aged ,Disease Reservoirs ,Aged, 80 and over ,Leptospira ,Multidisciplinary ,Outbreak ,Correction ,Agriculture ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Antibodies, Bacterial ,Multidisciplinary Sciences ,Hemorrhagic Fevers ,Medicine ,Female ,Research Article - Abstract
Rodents serve as reservoirs and/or vectors for several human infections of high morbidity and mortality in the tropics. Population growth and demographic shifts over the years have increased contact with these mammals, thereby increasing opportunities for disease transmission. In Africa, the burden of rodent-borne diseases is not well described. To investigate human seroprevalence of selected rodent-borne pathogens, sera from 657 healthy adults in ten rural communities in Ghana were analyzed. An in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to Lassa virus was positive in 34 (5%) of the human samples. Using commercial kits, antibodies to hantavirus serotypes, Puumala and Dobrava, and Leptospira bacteria were detected in 11%, 12% and 21% of the human samples, respectively. Forty percent of residents in rural farming communities in Ghana have measurable antibodies to at least one of the rodent-borne pathogens tested, including antibodies to viral hemorrhagic fever viruses. The high seroprevalence found in rural Ghana to rodent-borne pathogens associated with both sporadic cases and larger disease outbreaks will help define disease threats and inform public health policy to reduce disease burden in underserved populations and deter larger outbreaks. The study was supported by the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response (GEIS) of the U.S. Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC) (C0238_10_N3, C0435_11_N3, C0687_12_N3; C0410_11_RD, C0602_12_RD, and P0108_13_RD). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. We appreciate the invaluable support of the regional GHS directors and the local GHS nurses. The United States Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) provided assistance in the LASV serology and its confirmatory assays.
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- 2019
10. Two Novel Arenaviruses Detected in Pygmy Mice, Ghana
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William Ampofo, Kofi Bonney, Kwasi Obiri-Danso, Karl C. Kronmann, Elisabeth Fichet-Calvet, Shirley C. Nimo-Paintsil, Lisha C. Kronmann, and Fady Guirguis
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Disease reservoir ,Genes, Viral ,Rodent ,Epidemiology ,viruses ,lcsh:Medicine ,reservoirs ,medicine.disease_cause ,Ghana ,Rodent Diseases ,0302 clinical medicine ,Geography, Medical ,Lassa fever ,Phylogeny ,0303 health sciences ,biology ,Dispatch ,virus diseases ,Arenavirus ,Infectious Diseases ,Microbiology (medical) ,mice ,Molecular Sequence Data ,030231 tropical medicine ,west Africa ,Rodentia ,lcsh:Infectious and parasitic diseases ,Natal multimammate mouse ,03 medical and health sciences ,biology.animal ,medicine ,Animals ,Arenaviridae Infections ,lcsh:RC109-216 ,Western Africa ,Lassa virus ,Biology ,Disease Reservoirs ,030304 developmental biology ,lcsh:R ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Virology ,zoonoses ,emerging communicable diseases ,Mastomys ,Human medicine ,Murinae ,pygmy mice ,arenaviruses - Abstract
Two arenaviruses were detected in pygmy mice (Mus spp.) by screening 764 small mammals in Ghana. The Natal multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis), the known Lassa virus reservoir, was the dominant indoor rodent species in 4 of 10 sites, and accounted for 27% of all captured rodents. No rodent captured indoors tested positive for an arenavirus.
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- 2013
11. Molecular confirmation of Lassa fever imported into Ghana
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Sally-Ann Ohene, Joseph Amankwa, Joseph H.K. Bonney, Nicholas N. A. Kyei, Michael Adjabeng, William Ampofo, Shirley C. Nimo-Paintsil, Ralph K. Ametepi, Samuel Bel-Nono, Edward Nyarko, Badu Sarkodie, and Prince Agbenohevi
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0301 basic medicine ,medicine.medical_specialty ,viruses ,030231 tropical medicine ,Clinical Biochemistry ,medicine.disease_cause ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,West africa ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Epidemiology ,parasitic diseases ,medicine ,Lassa fever ,Original Research ,business.industry ,lcsh:Public aspects of medicine ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Outbreak ,virus diseases ,lcsh:RA1-1270 ,medicine.disease ,Virology ,Medical Laboratory Technology ,030104 developmental biology ,Lassa virus ,Viral haemorrhagic fever ,business - Abstract
Background: Recent reports have shown an expansion of Lassa virus from the area where it was first isolated in Nigeria to other areas of West Africa. Two Ghanaian soldiers on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Liberia were taken ill with viral haemorrhagic fever syndrome following the death of a sick colleague and were referred to a military hospital in Accra, Ghana, in May 2013. Blood samples from the soldiers and five asymptomatic close contacts were subjected to laboratory investigations.Objective: We report the results of these investigations to highlight the importance of molecular diagnostic applications and the need for heightened awareness about Lassa fever in West Africa.Methods: We used molecular assays on sera from the two patients to identify the causativeorganism. Upon detection of positive signals for Lassa virus ribonucleic material by two differentpolymerase chain reaction assays, sequencing and phylogenetic analyses were performed.Results: The presence of Lassa virus in the soldiers’ blood samples was shown by L-gene segment homology to be the Macenta and las803792 strains previously isolated in Liberia, with close relationships then confirmed by phylogenetic tree construction. The five asymptomatic close contacts were negative for Lassa virus.Conclusions: The Lassa virus strains identified in the two Ghanaian soldiers had molecular epidemiological links to strains from Liberia. Lassa virus was probably responsible for the outbreak of viral haemorrhagic fever in the military camp. These data confirm Lassa fever endemicity in West Africa.
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- 2016
12. Imported Lassa fever: a report of 2 cases in Ghana
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William Ampofo, Nicholas N. A. Kyei, Prince Agbenohevi, Joseph H.K. Bonney, Thomas K. Agbemaple, Shirley C. Nimo-Paintsil, Foster K. Kwawu, Edward Nyarko, Sally-Ann Ohene, and Mark M. Abilba
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Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,viruses ,Case Report ,medicine.disease_cause ,Antiviral Agents ,Communicable Diseases, Emerging ,Ghana ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Medical microbiology ,Lassa Fever ,West Africa ,Ribavirin ,medicine ,Humans ,Lassa fever ,Lassa virus ,Travel ,Ebola virus ,business.industry ,virus diseases ,Emerging infectious disease ,Mastomys ,medicine.disease ,Liberia ,Virology ,Hemorrhagic Fevers ,Infectious Diseases ,Military Personnel ,chemistry ,Public Health ,Contact Tracing ,business ,Contact tracing ,Viral hemorrhagic fevers - Abstract
Background Lassa fever is a potentially fatal acute viral illness caused by Lassa virus which is carried by rodents and is endemic in some West African countries. Importation of emerging infections such as Lassa fever, Ebola Virus Disease and other viral hemorrhagic fevers into non endemic regions is a growing threat particularly as international travel and commitments in resolving conflicts in endemic countries in the West Africa sub-region continue. Case presentation We report the first two recorded imported cases of Lassa fever among Ghanaian Peace keepers in rural Liberia, who became ill while on Peace keeping mission. They were subsequently evacuated to the UN level IV hospital in Accra, where their illnesses were laboratory confirmed. One of the patients recovered with ribavirin treatment and supportive therapy. No secondary clinical cases occurred in Ghana. Conclusions Healthcare providers at all levels of care should thus have a high index of suspicion for these infectious diseases and adopt standard infection control measures when treating patients in endemic regions or returning travelers from an endemic region with a febrile illness even of a known etiology.
- Published
- 2015
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