High level of colonization with third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales in African community settings, Ghana.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in eight Ghanaian communities to investigate the extent of intestinal colonization with 3-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales. The study collected faecal samples and corresponding lifestyle data from 736 healthy residents to assess the occurrence of cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, with a focus on genotypes of plasmid-mediated ESBLs, AmpCs, and carbapenemases. The results showed that 371 participants (50.

Phylogenetic and antimicrobial drug resistance analysis of O1 isolates from Ghana.

We investigated the evolution, phylogeny and antimicrobial resistance of O1 isolates (VCO1) from Ghana. Outbreak and environmental sources of VCO1 were characterized, whole-genome sequenced and compared to globally available seventh pandemic (7P) strains of at SNP resolution. Final analyses included 636 isolates.

Bloodstream Infections at Two Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Ghana: Multidrug Resistant Enterobacterales Undermine the Usefulness of Standard Antibiotic Regimes.

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized neonates. Data on antibiotic resistance in neonatal BSIs and their impact on clinical outcomes in Africa are limited.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study at 2 tertiary level neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Ghana.

Antimicrobial use in hospitalized patients: a multicentre point prevalence survey across seven hospitals in Ghana.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a public health crisis of global proportions. Data is required to understand the local drivers of antimicrobial resistance and support decision-making processes including implementation of appropriate antimicrobial stewardship strategies.

Objectives: To measure antimicrobial usage in hospitals in Ghana.

High rates of multi-drug resistant gram-negative organisms associated with surgical site infections in a teaching hospital in Ghana.

Background: There is limited data to guide the prevention and management of surgical site infections (SSI) in low- and middle-income countries. We prospectively studied aetiological agents associated with SSI and their corresponding antibiotic susceptibility patterns in a tertiary hospital in Ghana.

Methods: As part of a cohort study carried out at the surgical department of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) from July 2017 to April 2019, wound swabs were collected from patients diagnosed with SSI.

Oxacillinase-181 Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Ghana, 2017-2019.

We sequenced 29 carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from a neonatal intensive care unit in Ghana. Twenty-eight isolates were sequence type 17 with bla and differed by 0-32 single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Improved surveillance and infection control are needed to characterize and curb the spread of multidrug-resistant organisms in sub-Saharan Africa.

High Carriage Rates of Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria in Neonatal Intensive Care Units From Ghana.

Background: Carriage of multidrug resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria (GN) in hospitalized neonates may increase the risk of difficult-to-treat invasive infections at neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Data on MDRGN carriage among hospitalized newborns in Africa are limited.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study at the NICUs of 2 tertiary hospitals in Ghana.

Microscopic Observation Drug Susceptibility (MODS) Assay: A Convenient Method for Determining Antibiogram of Clinical Isolates of in Ghana.

(1) Background: Present methods for drug susceptibility tests (DST) rely on culture methods that are sophisticated and relatively faster, or a slow and cheaper option. These methods frustrate disease control; therefore, there is a need for methods that incorporate key functions of microscopy and culture, with reduced cost burden and sophistry. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify which, among the most commonly used (in Ghana) methods, can conveniently be used at health centers located in rural areas for effective DST determination of ().

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and molecular characterization of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Ghana, 2012-2015.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance is essential for tracking the emergence and spread of AMR strains in local, national and international populations. This is crucial for developing or refining treatment guidelines. N.

Pneumococcal carriage among children under five in Accra, Ghana, five years after the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

Background: The study objective was to determine the carriage and serotype distribution of Streptococcus pneumoniae among children in Accra, Ghana, five years after the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) in 2012.

Methods: Nasopharyngeal swab samples were collected from 410 children below 5 years of age in Accra, Ghana, from September to December, 2016. Pneumococcal isolates were identified by optochin sensitivity and bile solubility.

Antibiotic use in surgical units of selected hospitals in Ghana: a multi-centre point prevalence survey.

Background: Improper use of antibiotics leads to the emergence of resistant microorganisms as well as drug toxicity, increased healthcare costs, morbidity and mortality. Globally, an estimated 25-68% of hospitalized patients receive suboptimal antibiotic regimes. Information on the extent of this problem in Ghana is currently limited, particularly in surgical units.

Antibiotic prescribing in paediatric inpatients in Ghana: a multi-centre point prevalence survey.

Background: Excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics in hospitalised patients contributes to the development and spread of antibiotic resistance. Implementing a stewardship programme to curb the problem requires information on antibiotic use. This study describes a multicentre point prevalence of antibiotic use among paediatric inpatients in Ghana.

Physicians' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions concerning antibiotic resistance: a survey in a Ghanaian tertiary care hospital.

Background: Understanding the knowledge, attitudes and practices of physicians towards antibiotic resistance is key to developing interventions aimed at behavior change. The survey aimed to investigate physicians' knowledge and attitudes towards antibiotic resistance in a tertiary-care hospital setting in Ghana.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional respondent-driven survey using a 40-item, anonymous, voluntary, traditional paper-and-pencil self-administered questionnaire among 159 physicians at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

Antibiotic use in a tertiary healthcare facility in Ghana: a point prevalence survey.

Background: The global rise and spread of antibiotic resistance is limiting the usefulness of antibiotics in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. The use of antibiotic stewardship programs guided by local data on prescribing practices is a useful strategy to control and reduce antibiotic resistance. Our objective in this study was to determine the prevalence and indications for use of antibiotics at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Accra, Ghana.

High rates of cerebral toxoplasmosis in HIV patients presenting with meningitis in Accra, Ghana.

Background: Data on adult meningitis among patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is scarce in western sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana.

Methods: HIV-infected adults with a provisional diagnosis of meningitis were consecutively enrolled, between August 2014 and January 2016. After patient data collection, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was obtained and evaluated for microbiological aetiologies, cell counts and biochemistry.

Prevalence of antimicrobial resistant pathogens from blood cultures: results from a laboratory based nationwide surveillance in Ghana.

Background: Blood stream infections (BSI) are critical medical conditions with high morbidity and mortality. There is paucity of information on BSI from surveillance studies in Ghana.

Aim: This study sought to demonstrate how useful BSI data can be gleaned from population-based surveillance, especially from resource-limited settings.

In Vitro Susceptibility of Isolates to Selected Antimicrobials.

The current definitive treatment of Buruli ulcer with antibiotics makes the issue of antimicrobial drug resistance an unavoidable one. This is as a result of drug misuse by health personnel and patients' noncompliance to treatment regimen. Monitoring of these factors and screening for new effective antimicrobials are crucial to effective management of Buruli ulcer disease.

Prevalence and characterization of among humans in Ghana.

Background: Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is a public health problem worldwide and particularly in Africa with high disease burden. This study characterized isolates from humans in Ghana to determine serovar distribution, phage types, and antimicrobial resistance. Further, the clonal relatedness among isolates was determined.

Susceptibility Profiles of Isolates to Streptomycin and Rifampicin in Two Districts of the Eastern Region of Ghana.

. Drug resistance is a major challenge in antibiotic chemotherapy. Assessing resistance profiles of pathogens constitutes an essential surveillance tool in the epidemiology and control of infectious diseases, including Buruli ulcer (BU) disease.

Evaluating decontamination protocols for the isolation of Mycobacterium ulcerans from swabs.

Background: Mycobacterium ulcerans (M. ulcerans) is the causative agent of Buruli Ulcer (BU) disease. In order to inhibit the growth of the microbial contaminants during culture of M.

Neonatal bloodstream infections in a Ghanaian Tertiary Hospital: Are the current antibiotic recommendations adequate?

Background: Diagnosis of bloodstream infections (BSI) in neonates is usually difficult due to minimal symptoms at presentation; thus early empirical therapy guided by local antibiotic susceptibility profile is necessary to improve therapeutic outcomes.

Methods: A review of neonatal blood cultures submitted to the microbiology department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital was conducted from January 2010 through December 2013. We assessed the prevalence of bacteria and fungi involved in BSI and the susceptibility coverage of recommended empiric antibiotics by Ghana Standard Treatment guidelines and the WHO recommendations for managing neonatal sepsis.

Maximizing microscopy as a diagnostic tool in peripheral health centres of BU endemic areas in Ghana.

Buruli ulcer (BU) disease, a skin condition caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans (M. ulcerans) is endemic in remote rural areas. Disease diagnosis on clinical basis alone can be misleading, requiring definitive diagnosis based on laboratory tests.

Tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria among HIV-infected individuals in Ghana.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence and clinical importance of previously unrecognised tuberculosis (TB) and isolation of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) among HIV-infected individuals in a teaching hospital in Ghana.

Methods: Intensified mycobacterial case finding was conducted among HIV-positive individuals before initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Data were collected on socio-demographic characteristics, medical history and TB-related signs and symptoms, and participants were followed for six months to determine treatment and vital status.

Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus from Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) patients in Accra, Ghana.

Introduction: The aims of this study were to: a) determine the nasal carriage prevalence of Stahpylococcus aureus among HIV patients, b) to characterize S. aureus strains isolated.

Methodology: Characterization of S.

Laboratory-based nationwide surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in Ghana.

Global efforts are underway to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). A key target in this intervention is surveillance for local and national action. Data on AMR in Ghana are limited, and monitoring of AMR is nonexistent.