Ex vivo Sensitivity Profile of Clinical Isolates to a Panel of Antimalarial Drugs in Ghana 13 Years After National Policy Change.

Purpose: Malaria continues to be a major health issue globally with almost 85% of the global burden and deaths borne by sub-Saharan Africa and India. Although the current artemisinin derived combination therapies in Ghana are still efficacious against the () parasite, compounding evidence of artemisinin and amodiaquine resistance establish the need for a full, up-to-date understanding and monitoring of antimalarial resistance to provide evidence for planning control strategies.

Materials And Methods: The study was cross-sectional and was conducted during the peak malaria transmission seasons of 2015, 2016, and 2017 in two ecological zones of Ghana.

The transcriptome of circulating sexually committed Plasmodium falciparum ring stage parasites forecasts malaria transmission potential.

Malaria is spread by the transmission of sexual stage parasites, called gametocytes. However, with Plasmodium falciparum, gametocytes can only be detected in peripheral blood when they are mature and transmissible to a mosquito, which complicates control efforts. Here, we identify the set of genes overexpressed in patient blood samples with high levels of gametocyte-committed ring stage parasites.

Publisher Correction: Plasmodium falciparum sexual differentiation in malaria patients is associated with host factors and GDV1-dependent genes.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Efficacy of Artesunate/Amodiaquine in the Treatment of Uncomplicated Malaria among Children in Ghana.

The declining efficacy of chloroquine in the early 2000s in Ghana led to its replacement with artesunate/amodiaquine (AS/AQ) combination as first-line drug for treating uncomplicated malaria in 2005. Since then efficacy studies have been ongoing in the country to provide continuous data on the efficacy of AS/AQ and other alternative antimalarials (artemether/lumefantrine and dihyroartemisinin/piperaquine combinations) introduced in 2008. In vivo AS/AQ efficacy studies were conducted between June and October 2014 among children aged 6 months to 14 years, in two sentinel sites representing the forest and coastal zones of the country.

Impact of tea drinking upon tuberculosis: a neglected issue.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health issue posing serious harm to the human health. Many studies have suggested that smoking and excessive alcohol consumption are risk factors for TB. Laboratory evidence suggests that EGCG in tea leaves can arrest the growth of tubercle bacillus.

Impact of MBL and MASP-2 gene polymorphism and its interaction on susceptibility to tuberculosis.

Background: Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) and MBL-associated serine proteases 2 (MASP-2) are important proteins in the lectin pathway of the immune system. Polymorphism of MBL and MASP-2 genes may affect the serum concentration of MBL and MASP-2. This study explores the association between MBL and MASP-2 gene polymorphism and their interactions and the susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB).

Impact of passive smoking, cooking with solid fuel exposure, and MBL/MASP-2 gene polymorphism upon susceptibility to tuberculosis.

Background: To explore the impact of passive smoking, cooking with solid fuel, mannose-binding lectin (MBL) gene, MBL-associated serine proteases 2 (MASP-2) gene, and gene-environment interactions on the susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB) in non-smokers.

Methods: A total of 205 TB patients and 216 healthy controls were recruited to participate in this case-control study. PCR with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) technology was leveraged to genotype rs7096206 of MBL genes and rs2273346 and rs6695096 of MASP-2 genes.

Surveillance of molecular markers of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine 5 years after the change of malaria treatment policy in Ghana.

In 2005, sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) became the drug of choice for intermittent preventive treatment of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) in Ghana. Reports suggest the use of SP by others to treat uncomplicated malaria. Because of the increased use of SP, the prevalence of mutations in the genes, dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr), and dihydropteroate synthetase (dhps), linked to SP resistance in P.

A comparative analysis of tuberculosis treatment success between Hunan Province of China and Eastern Ghana.

Objective: To assess the differences in tuberculosis (TB) treatment success between Hunan and Eastern Ghana.

Subjects And Methods: The study was a retrospective comparative study using 2005-2006 surveillance data from the Hunan province of China and the Eastern region of Ghana. Data analyzed were from the provincial/regional capital and a randomly selected city of lower economic status.

Antimalarial drug use among caregivers in Ghana.

Background: Chloroquine remains the first line antimalarial drug in Ghana. However, the emergence of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to chloroquine is a major obstacle to the national control strategy of case management. This study provides information on some of the reasons underlying chloroquine treatment failure in the country.