Browsing by Author "Lamptey, Jones"

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    Genomic and epidemiological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 in Africa
    (PLOS ONE, 2021) Lamptey, Jones; Oyelami Oluwapelumi Favour; Owusu-Dabo Ellis; Nkrumah Bernard; Owusu Michael....et a
    ince late 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, caused by SARS CoV-2, has rapidly evolved to become a global pandemic. Each country was affected but with a varying number of infected cases and mortality rates. Africa was hit late by the pan demic but the number of cases rose sharply. In this study, we investigated 224 SARS-CoV 2 genome sequences from the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) in the early part of the outbreak, of which 69 were from Africa. We analyzed a total of 550 muta tions by comparing them with the reference SARS-CoV-2 sequence from Wuhan. We clas sified the mutations observed based on country and region, and afterwards analyzed common and unique mutations on the African continent as a whole. Correlation analyses showed that the duo variants ORF1ab/RdRp 4715L and S protein 614G variants, which are strongly linked to fatality rate, were not significantly and positively correlated with fatality rates (r = -0.03757, P = 0.5331 and r = -0.2876, P = 0.6389, respectively), although increased number of cases correlated with number of deaths (r = 0.997, P = 0.0002). Fur thermore, most cases in Africa were mainly imported from American and European coun tries, except one isolate with no mutation and was similar to the original isolate from Wuhan. Moreover, unique mutations specific to countries were identified in the early phase of the outbreak but these mutations were not regional-specific. There were common mutations in all isolates across the continent as well as similar isolate-specific mutations in different regions. Our findings suggest that mutation is rapid in SARS-CoV-2 in Africa and although
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    Sero-prevalence, cross-species infection and serological determinants of prevalence of Bovine Coronavirus in Cattle, Sheep and Goats in Ghana
    (Veterinary Microbiology, 2020) Burimuaha, Vitus; Sylverken, Augustina; Owusu, Michael; El-Duah, Philip; Yeboah, Richmond; Lamptey, Jones; Frimpong, Yaw Oppong; Agbenyegah, Olivia; Folitse, Raphael; Tasiame, William; Emikpe, Benjamin; et.al...; 0000-0002-7691-914X; 0000-0001-5066-150X; 0000-0003-1671-0755; 0000-0002-2765-6179; 0000-0002-7050-1674
    Cattle, goats and sheep are dominant livestock species in sub-Saharan Africa, with sometimes limited in formation on the prevalence of major infectious diseases. Restrictions due to notifiable epizootics complicate the exchange of samples in surveillance studies and suggest that laboratory capacities should be established domestically. Bovine Coronavirus (BCoV) causes mainly enteric disease in cattle. Spillover to small ruminants is possible. Here we established BCoV serology based on a recombinant immunofluorescence assay for cattle, goats and sheep, and studied the seroprevalence of BCoV in these species in four different locations in the Greater Accra, Volta, Upper East, and Northern provinces of Ghana. The whole sampling and testing was organized and conducted by a veterinary school in Kumasi, Ashanti Region of Ghana. Among sampled sheep (n = 102), goats (n = 66), and cattle (n = 1495), the seroprevalence rates were 25.8 %, 43.1 % and 55.8 %. For cattle, seroprevalence was significantly higher on larger farms (82.2 % vs 17.8 %, comparing farms with > 50 or < 50 animals; p = 0.027). Highest prevalence was seen in the Northern province with dry climate, but no significant trend following the north-south gradient of sampling sites was detected. Our study identifies a considerable seroprevalence for BCoV in Ghana and provides further support for the spillover of BCoV to small ruminants in settings with mixed husbandry and limited separation between species.