Browsing by Author "Kumordjie, S."
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Item Antigenicity and immune correlate assessment of seven Plasmodium falciparum antigens in a longitudinal infant cohort from northern Ghana(Scientific Reports, 2019) Kusi, K.A.; Aguiar, J.; Kumordjie, S.; Aggor, F.; Bolton, J.; Renner, A.; Kyei-Baafour, E.; Puplampu, N.; Belmonte, M.; Dodoo, D.; Gyan, B.A.; Ofori, M.F.; Oduro, R.A.; Atuguba, F.; Koram, K.A.; Adams, N.; Letizia, A.; Villasante, E.; Sedegah, M.The current global malaria control and elimination agenda requires development of additional effective disease intervention tools. Discovery and characterization of relevant parasite antigens is important for the development of new diagnostics and transmission monitoring tools and for subunit vaccine development. This study assessed the natural antibody response profile of seven novel Plasmodium falciparum pre-erythrocytic antigens and their potential association with protection against clinical malaria. Antigen-specific antibody levels in plasma collected at six time points from a longitudinal cohort of one-to-five year old children resident in a seasonal malaria transmission area of northern Ghana were assessed by ELISA. Antibody levels were compared between parasite-positive and parasite-negative individuals and the association of antibody levels with malaria risk assessed using a regression model. Plasma antibody levels against five of the seven antigens were significantly higher in parasite-positive children compared to parasite-negative children, especially during low transmission periods. None of the antigen-specific antibodies showed an association with protection against clinical malaria. The study identified five of the seven antigens as markers of exposure to malaria, and these will have relevance for the development of disease diagnostic and monitoring tools. The vaccine potential of these antigens requires further assessment. © 2019, The Author(s).Item Chikungunya viruses containing the A226V mutation detected retrospectively in Cameroon form a new geographical subclade(International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2021) Agbodzi, B.; Yousseu, F. B. S.; Simo, F. B. N.; Kumordjie, S.; Yeboah, C.; Mosore, M.; Bentil, R. E.; Prieto, K.; Colston, S. M.; Attram, N.; Nimo-Paintsil, S.; Fox, A. T.; Bonney, J. H. K.; Ampofo, W.; Coatsworth, H. G.; Dinglasan, R. R.; Wolfe, D. M.; Wiley, M. R.; Demanou, M.; Letiziaa, A. G.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 lin- eages, 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 emerg- ing sub-lineage of the East/Central/South African genotype and formed a monophyletic taxon with pre- vious 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.Item Genomic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 reveals local viral evolution in Ghana(2021) Ngoi, J.M.; Quashie, P.K.; Morang’a, C.M.; Bonney, J.H.K.; Amuzu, D.S.Y.; Kumordjie, S.; Asante, I.A.; Bonney, E.Y.; Eshun, M.; Boatemaa, L.; Magnusen, V.; Kotey, E.N.; Ndam, N.T.; Tei-Maya, F.; Arjarquah, A.K.; Obodai, E.; Otchere, I.D.; Bediako, Y.; Mutungi, J.K.; Amenga-Etego, L.N.; Odoom, J.K.; Anang, A.K.; Kyei, G.B.; Adu, B.; Ampofo, W.K.; Awandare, G.A.The confirmed case fatality rate for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Ghana has dropped from a peak of 2% in March to be consistently below 1% since May 2020. Globally, case fatality rates have been linked to the strains/clades of circulating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) within a specific country. Here we present 46 whole genomes of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in Ghana, from two separate sequencing batches: 15 isolates from the early epidemic (March 12–April 1 2020) and 31 from later time-points ( 25–27 May 2020). Sequencing was carried out on an Illumina MiSeq system following an amplicon-based enrichment for SARS-CoV-2 cDNA. After genome assembly and quality control processes, phylogenetic analysis showed that the first batch of 15 genomes clustered into five clades: 19A, 19B, 20A, 20B, and 20C, whereas the second batch of 31 genomes clustered to only three clades 19B, 20A, and 20B. The imported cases (6/46) mapped to circulating viruses in their countries of origin, namely, India, Hungary, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. All genomes mapped to the original Wuhan strain with high similarity (99.5–99.8%). All imported strains mapped to the European superclade A, whereas 5/9 locally infected indi viduals harbored the B4 clade, from the East Asian superclade B. Ghana appears to have 19B and 20B as the two largest circulating clades based on our sequence analyses. In line with global reports, the D614G linked viruses seem to be predominating. Comparison of Ghanaian SARS-CoV-2 genomes with global genomes indicates that Ghanaian strains have not diverged significantly from circulating strains commonly imported into Africa. The low level of diversity in our genomes may indicate lower levels of transmission, even for D614G viruses, which is consistent with the relatively low levels of infection reported in Ghana.Item Risk factors associated with gonorrhea and chlamydia transmission in selected health facilities in Ghana(BMC Infectious Diseases, 2019-04-26) Addo, K.K.; Dela, H.; Attram, N.; Behene, E.; Kumordjie, S.; Nyarko, E.O.; Kyei, N.N.A.; Carroll, J.N.A.; Kwakye, C.; Duplessis, C.A.; Adams, N.; Garges, E.; Letizia, A.G.Background: Understanding the underlying epidemiology that shapes Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC), and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections can contribute to data driven policies directed towards curbing the proliferation of these pathogens in Ghana. Information on the symptoms and risk factors for STIs will help to identify high-risk individuals which will in turn inform STI syndromic management and tailor the use of public health resources. Methods: Participants were from 4 military clinics and 1 civilian STI clinic in Ghana and eligible if they had symptoms suggestive of STI. First void urine samples were collected and tested with Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT). A structured questionnaire was administered to all participants. Multivariate logistic regression identified factors associated with infection, separately for NG and for CT and for men and women. Results: A total of 950 patients, 58% of whom were females were enrolled, 28% had gonorrhea and 11% had chlamydia with more males testing positive than females. Reported symptoms that were more common among patients who tested positive for gonorrhea were painful urination and urethral discharge (all P values < 0.05). Additionally, multiple sexual partners and alcohol use were statistically associated with higher rates of gonorrhea in males while only the frequency of condom use was associated with gonorrhea for females. None of the symptoms or risk factors except marital status was associated with testing positive for chlamydia. Conclusion: Identifying these symptoms and risk factors help inform health care delivery systems for STIs in Ghana. Furthermore, men and women presenting with these symptoms and risk factors are a prime target for public health education campaigns, aimed at curbing the spread of gonorrhea and chlamydia infections.Item Whole Genome Sequencing and Antimicrobial Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus from Surgical Site Infections in Ghana(MDPI, 2021) Egyir, B.; Bentum, J.; Attram, N.; Fox, A.; Obeng-Nkrumah, N.; Appiah-Korang, L.; Behene, E.; Kumordjie, S.; Yeboah, C.; Agbodzi, B.; Bentil, R.E.; Tagoe, R.; Tabi, B.K.A.; Owusu, F.; Dayie, N.T.K.D.; Donkor, E.S.; Nsaful, J.; Asah-Opoku, K.; Nyarko, E.; Asumanu, E.; Larsen, A.R.; Wolfe, D.M.; Letizia, A.G.Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a common cause of surgical site infections (SSIs) globally. Data on the occurrence of methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) as well as methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) among patients with surgical site infections (SSIs) in sub-Saharan African are scarce. We characterized S. aureus from SSIs in Ghana using molecular methods and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Wound swabs or aspirate samples were collected from subjects with SSIs. S. aureus was identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS); AST was performed by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion, and results were interpreted according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guideline. Detection of spa, mecA, and pvl genes was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was done using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Samples were collected from 112 subjects, with 13 S. aureus isolates recovered. Of these, 92% were sensitive to co-trimoxazole, 77% to clindamycin, and 54% to erythromycin. Multi-drug resistance was detected in 5 (38%) isolates. The four mecA gene-positive MRSA isolates detected belonged to ST152 (n = 3) and ST5 (n = 1). In total, 62% of the isolates were positive for the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (pvl) toxin gene. This study reports, for the first time, a pvl-positive ST152-t355 MRSA clone from SSIs in Ghana. The occurrence of multi-drug-resistant S. aureus epidemic clones suggests that continuous surveillance is required to monitor the spread and resistance trends of S. aureus in hospital settings in the country.