Browsing by Author "Attiku, K.O."

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    Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) in HIV/HBV Co-Infected Patients in Ghana
    (University Of Ghana, 2019-07) Attiku, K.O.
    Within persons infected with HIV worldwide, almost 10% have chronic HBV infection, and about 6% of all HBV infected patients are co-/superinfected with HDV, resulting in accelerated progression of hepatitis towards end stage liver disease. Even though within HIV/HBV infected patients, an increase in HDV infection has been observed, there is inadequate information on HDV prevalence as well as virologic profile in Ghana. This study sought to determine the presence of HDV in HIV/HBV co-infected patients in Ghana. This was a longitudinal purposive study which enrolled 113 patients, who have been co-infected with HIV and HBV, attending clinic at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) in Ghana. Patient demographic information was obtained using a questionnaire, and 5 mL whole blood collected at two-time points (baseline and 4-6 months afterwards). The sera obtained were tested to confirm the presence of HIV, HBV antibodies/antigens and HBV DNA. Antibodies and viral RNA were also determined for HDV with respective serological and molecular assays. Amplified HBV DNA and HDV RNA were sequenced with the Sanger method and sequence reads analyzed using Sequencher software version 2.3. Phylogenetic analysis was carried out with references from the GenBank to establish the genotypes using the MEGA X software. Out of 113 samples tested, 63 (55.7%) were females and 50 (44.25%) were males. Patients enrolled in this study were within the age range of 24 to 73 years, with a median age of 45 years. A total of 100 (88.5%) samples had detectable HBV surface antigen (HBsAg), and 32/113 had detectable HBV DNA. Nucleotide sequences were obtained for 15 samples, and phylogenetic analysis showed the circulating strains to be HBV genotype E. Of 13 samples that were HBsAg unreactive, 4 (30.8%) had detectable HBV DNA and suggest the presence of an occult infection. HDV was detected in four samples and giving a prevalence of 3.54% in the HIV/HBV cohort used for the study. Two of the HDV positive samples sequenced were HDV genotype 1. In summary, the data suggest the presence and circulation of HDV and occult HBV infection in HIV patients co-infected with HBV in Ghana. The occurrence of occult HBV infection and HDV in the study population is supported by other research studies, and makes it imperative to look out for the presence of HDV and occult HBV in patients co-infected with HIV/HBV.
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    Strengthening laboratory surveillance of viral pathogens: Experiences and lessons learned building next-generation sequencing capacity in Ghana
    (International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2019-02) Marine, R.L.; Ntim, N.A.A.; Castro, C.J.; Attiku, K.O.; Pratt, D.; Duker, E.; Agbosu, E.; Ng, T.F.F.; Gatei, W.; Obodai, E.et.al.
    Objective To demonstrate the feasibility of applying next-generation sequencing (NGS) in medium-resource reference laboratories in Africa to enhance global disease surveillance. Methods A training program was developed to support implementation of NGS at Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), University of Ghana. The program was divided into two training stages, first at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA, followed by on-site training at NMIMR for a larger cohort of scientists. Results Self-assessment scores for topics covered during the NGS training program were higher post-training relative to pre-training. During the NGS Training II session at NMIMR, six enterovirus isolates from acute flaccid paralysis cases in Ghana were successfully sequenced by trainees, including two echovirus 6, two echovirus 11 and one echovirus 13. Another genome was an uncommon type (EV-B84), which has not been reported in Africa since its initial discovery from a Côte d’Ivoire specimen in 2003. Conclusions The success at NMIMR provides an example of how to approach transferring of NGS methods to international laboratories. There is great opportunity for collaboration between institutes that have genomics expertise to ensure effectiveness and long-term success of global NGS capacity building programs.