Performance of eight serum cytokine/chemokine biomarkers in discriminating between active and latent tuberculosis infection in Ghana.

Introduction: The existing Interferon γ release assay (IGRA) tests for TB infection, lacks utility in discriminating between active TB (ATB) and latent TB infection (LTBI). This study evaluated the potential of eight serum cytokines/chemokines in differentiating LTBI from ATB and as a surrogate marker for TB treatment response.

Methods: We quantified and compared the serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-12p70, IL-17A, Granzyme B) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, IL-6, IL-4) among LTBI, ATB, and healthy controls using the Human Magnetic Luminex™ 200 system.

Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Dogs and Potential Implications to Human Health in Accra, Ghana.

Dogs provide security and companionship and enhance the psychological well-being of humans but also carry potential zoonotic pathogens posing a public health risk. This study was conducted to detect gastrointestinal parasites in dogs and determine their potential risk to human health. In all, 288 dog fecal samples were collected per rectum from a veterinary and community in Accra, Ghana.

Exploring the metabolic and cuticular mechanisms of increased pyrethroid resistance in Anopheles gambiae S.l populations from Ghana.

Increasing insecticide resistance in malaria vectors threatens the efficacy of current control tools, however knowledge of metabolic and cuticular mechanisms is widely lacking in Ghana. We examined the metabolic and cuticular resistance mechanisms in Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes from coastal and sahel zones of Ghana. WHO susceptibility tests and synergist assays were performed on F0 field collected An.

Risk of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria among People with Sickle Cell Disease in Accra, Ghana.

Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is benign except in certain medical conditions such as pregnancy and immunosuppression. In Ghana, there are hardly any studies on urinary infections among sickle cell disease (SCD) patients, and the few studies carried out in Africa focused on pediatric SCD populations. The current study aimed to investigate the risk of ASB among SCD patients at a tertiary hospital in Ghana.

Giardia lamblia infections in children in Ghana.

Introduction: Though giardiasis is an important public health problem in Ghana, several aspects of its epidemiology, particularly the molecular epidemiology has not been investigated adequately. This could be a major hindrance to effective surveillance and control of giardiasis in the country. The study was carried out to determine the prevalence, risk factors and genotypes of infecting children at a paediatric hospital in Ghana.

Microbial Content of "Bowl Water" Used for Communal Handwashing in Preschools within Accra Metropolis, Ghana.

Objective. This study aimed at determining the microbial content of "bowl water" used for communal handwashing in preschools within the Accra Metropolis. Method.

Minimising invasiveness in diagnostics: developing a rapid urine-based monoclonal antibody dipstick test for malaria.

Objective: To generate monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) for developing a rapid malaria diagnostic urine-based assay (RUBDA), using Plasmodium-infected human urinary antigens.

Methods: Plasmodium-infected human urinary (PAgHU) and cultured parasite (CPfAg) antigens were used to generate mouse MAbs. The reactivity and accuracy of the MAbs produced were then evaluated using microplate ELISA, SDS-PAGE, Western blotting assay, microscopy and immunochromatographic tests.

Immunolocalization of the 29 kDa Schistosoma haematobium species-specific antigen: a potential diagnostic marker for urinary schistosomiasis.

Background: The 29 kDa Schistosoma haematobium species-specific antigen (ShSSA) is of remarkable interest in the diagnosis of urinary schistosomiasis although it had not been fully characterized.

Method: To determine the biological importance of ShSSA in S. haematobium and pathogenesis of the disease, we immunolocalized ShSSA in schistosome eggshells, miracidia and adult worm sections using indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT).

Microbial carriage of cockroaches at a tertiary care hospital in ghana.

Cockroaches are common in the environment of many hospitals in Ghana; however, little is known about their public health risks. To evaluate potential risks, we investigated the external and internal microbial flora of 61 cockroaches from a tertiary hospital in Ghana and evaluated the antibiotic resistance profiles of the common bacterial species. Standard methods were used in all the microbiological investigations and antibiotic susceptibility testing.

Detection of malaria sporozoites by standard ELISA and VecTestTM dipstick assay in field-collected anopheline mosquitoes from a malaria endemic site in Ghana.

We compared the VecTestTM dipstick assay for detection of Plasmodium sporozoites in Anopheles vectors of malaria with standard circumsporozoite (CS) microplate ELISA for detection of Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (PfCSP) in Anopheles mosquitoes. Mosquitoes were collected from a malaria endemic site (Kassena Nankana district) in northern Ghana. Of 2620 randomly sampled mosquitoes tested, the standard CS-ELISA gave a sporozoite rate of 10.