Browsing by Author "Sarpong Nimako"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    A cross‑sectional study on risk factors for infection with Parvovirus B19 and the association with anaemia in a febrile paediatric population inGhana
    (Springer Nature, 2020) Herr Wiebke; Hogan Benedikt; Owusu-Dabo Ellis; Sarpong Nimako; Gyau Kennedy....et all; 0000-0003-4232-4292
    Parvovirus B19 (B19V) occurs globally and can cause severe anaemia. The role of co-infections with Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) has been controversially discussed. The study aimed to determine prevalence and severity of B19V infection, and the effect of co-infections on the risk for anaemia. Between November 2013 and April 2015 a total of 1186 hospital visits of children with fever admitted to a hospital in Ghana were recorded. Malaria, B19V and additional diagnostics for fever causes were performed. Recent B19V infection was defined as PCR and/or IgM positivity. Risk factors for a B19V infection and for anaemia were analysed. The prevalence of anaemia was compared between children with/without B19V infection, stratified for the presence of malaria. B19V IgM/PCR was positive in 6.4% (n = 76; 40 IgM + , 30 PCR + , 6 IgM + and PCR +). Among the B19V cases 60.5% had a simultaneous P. falciparum infection. B19V IgM positivity but not PCR positivity was associated with moderate-severe anaemia (OR = 2.6; 95%-CI: 1.3–5.3; P < 0.01 vs. OR = 0.9; 95%-CI: 0.4–1.8; P = 0.70). P. falciparum and IgM positive B19V infection were independent risk factors for anaemia with no evidence of effect modification. Our data show a significant association between B19V infection, defined as IgM but not PCR positivity, and moderate-severe anaemia. A multiplicative effect of B19V and P. falciparum infection was not found.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in local and imported poultry meat in Ghana
    (ELSEVIER, 2018) Eibach Daniel; Dekker Denise; Boahen Gyau Kennedy; Owusu-Dabo Ellis; Akenten Wiafe Charity; Sarpong Nimako; Krumkamp Ralf....et al
    Antibiotic use in animal husbandry has raised concerns on the spread of resistant bacteria. Currently animal products are traded globally with unprecedented ease, which has been challenging the control of antimicrobial resistance. This study aims to detect and characterize extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae from imported and locally produced poultry products sold in Ghana. Local and imported chicken meat was collected from 94 stores and markets throughout Kumasi (Ghana) and cultured on selective ESBL screening agar. Phenotypic ESBL-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates were confirmed by combined disc test and further characterized by antibiotic susceptibility testing, amplification of the blaCTX-M, blaTEM and blaSHV genes as well as multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and linked to the country of origin. Out of 200 meat samples, 71 (36%) samples revealed 81 ESBL-producing isolates (46 E. coli and 35 K. pneumoniae), with 44% (30/68) of local poultry and 31% (41/132) of imported products being contaminated. Most ESBL-producing isolates harboured the blaCTX-M-15 gene (61/81, 75%) and the dominant Sequence Types (ST) were ST2570 (7/35, 20%) among K. pneumoniae and ST10 (5/46, 11%) among E. coli. High numbers of ESBL-producing bacteria, particularly on local but also imported poultry meat, represent a potential source for human colonization and infection as well as spread within the community. Surveillance along the poultry production-food-consumer chain would be a valuable tool to identify sources of emerging multidrug resistant pathogens in Ghana
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Prevalence of malaria parasitaemia in school children from two districts of Ghana earmarked for indoor residual spraying: a cross-sectional study
    (BioMed Central, 2015) Sarpong Nimako; Owusu-Dabo Ellis; Kreuels Benno; Fobil N Julius; Segbaya Sylvester...et al
    Background: Indoor residual spraying (IRS) is considered a valuable transmission control measure against malaria but exact efficacy data are not available for many epidemiological settings. This study was conducted to determine indicators for malaria epidemiology and transmission among school children as baseline assessment before IRS imple‑ mentation in Ghana. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Adansi South District of the Ashanti Region and Wa West District of the Upper West Region of Ghana. Malarial parasitaemia and anaemia were determined in pupils between the ages of 2 and 14 years from Early Childhood Development Centres and primary schools. Plasmodium falciparum parasitae‑ mia was detected by light microscopy. Results: Out of 1,649 pupils who were enrolled at participating schools, 684 were positive for plasmodia resulting in a baseline parasitaemia prevalence of 41.5%. Parasite rate was similar in the two districts (42.0% in Adansi South and 40.7% in Wa West), but differed across the nine sentinel schools ranging from 21 to 63% (p < 0.001). The mean haemoglobin concentration was 11.3 g/dl [standard deviation (SD) ±2.1]. Pupils who had moderate to mild anaemia (7.0–10.9 g/dl) constituted 41.7% of the study sample. Conclusion: The burden of parasitaemia, malaria and anaemia is a major public health problem among school chil‑ dren in rural Ghana with extensive heterogeneity between schools and warrants further investment in intervention measures.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Spatial heterogeneity of malaria in Ghana: a cross-sectional study on the association between urbanicity and the acquisition of immunity
    (BioMed Central, 2016) Frank Clemens; Krumkamp Ralf; Owusu-Dabo Ellis; Sarpong Nimako; Sothmann Peter......et al
    Background: Malaria incidence has declined considerably over the last decade. This is partly due to a scale-up of control measures but is also attributed to increasing urbanization. This study aimed to analyse the association between malaria and urbanization and the effect of urbanicity on the acquisition of semi-immunity. Methods: In 2012, children with fever presenting to St Michael’s Hospital Pramso/Ghana were recruited. The malaria positive-fraction (MPF) of fever cases was calculated on community-level to approximate the malaria risk. The mean age of malaria cases was calculated for each community to estimate the acquisition of semi-immunity. The level of urbanicity for the communities was calculated and associations between MPF, urbanicity and immunity were modelled using linear regression. Results: Twenty-six villages were included into the study with a mean MPF of 35 %. A linear decrease of 5 % (95 % CI: 4–6 %) in MPF with every ten-point increase in urbanicity was identified. The mean age of malaria patients increased by 2.9 months (95 % CI: 1.0–4.8) with every ten-point increase in urbanicity. Discussion: The results confirm an association between an increase in urbanicity and declining malaria risk and dem‑ onstrate that the acquisition of semi-immunity is heterogeneous on a micro-epidemiological scale and is associated with urbanicity