Intestinal Helminth Infections in Ghanaian Children from the Ashanti Region between 2007 and 2008—A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Real-Time PCR-Based Assessment
In spite of ongoing eradication programs, helminth infections are still a medical issue in Ghana. For follow-up assessments on the decline of regional helminth infections, historic baseline prevalence values obtained with standardized diagnostic procedures can be helpful. In this retrospective cross...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-11-01
|
| Series: | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/7/11/374 |
| _version_ | 1797463863639146496 |
|---|---|
| author | Charity Wiafe Akenten Felix Weinreich Ellis Kobina Paintsil John Amuasi Dennis Fosu Ulrike Loderstädt Jürgen May Hagen Frickmann Denise Dekker |
| author_facet | Charity Wiafe Akenten Felix Weinreich Ellis Kobina Paintsil John Amuasi Dennis Fosu Ulrike Loderstädt Jürgen May Hagen Frickmann Denise Dekker |
| author_sort | Charity Wiafe Akenten |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In spite of ongoing eradication programs, helminth infections are still a medical issue in Ghana. For follow-up assessments on the decline of regional helminth infections, historic baseline prevalence values obtained with standardized diagnostic procedures can be helpful. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, real-time PCR targeting the nematodes <i>Ancylostoma</i> spp. (ITS2), <i>Ascaris lumbricoides</i> (ITS1), <i>Enterobius vermicularis</i> (ITS1), <i>Necator americanus</i> (ITS2), <i>Strongyloides stercoralis</i> (18S rRNA) and <i>Trichuris trichiura</i> (18S rRNA), the trematodes <i>Schistosoma</i> spp. (ITS2) as well as the cestodes <i>Hymenolepis nana</i> (ITS1), <i>Taenia saginata</i> (ITS1) and <i>Taenia solium</i> (ITS1) was applied with 2046 DNA eluates from stool samples of Ghanaian children from the Ashanti region collected between 2007 and 2008 in order to retrospectively define prevalence values. The overall prevalence was low with 3.8% (<i>n</i> = 77) and only 0.1% (<i>n</i> = 2) double infections with helminths were recorded. The three most frequently detected enteric helminth species comprised 2% <i>S. stercoralis</i> (<i>n</i> = 41), 0.8% <i>H. nana</i> (<i>n</i> = 16), and 0.7% <i>N. americanus</i> (<i>n</i> = 14), while only sporadic infection events were recorded for other helminth species comprising 0.1% <i>E. vermicularis</i> (<i>n</i> = 2), 0.1% <i>Schistosoma</i> spp. (<i>n</i> = 2), 0.1% <i>T. saginata</i> (<i>n</i> = 1) and 0.1% <i>T. trichiura</i> (<i>n</i> = 1). <i>A. lumbricoides</i>, <i>Ancylostoma</i> spp. and <i>T. solium</i> were not detected at all. In conclusion, the retrospective assessment suggests a low prevalence of enteric helminth infections in Ghanaian children from the Ashanti Region within the assessment period between 2007 and 2008. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:56:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-05e37477500e4bd8a65281e00f540be2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2414-6366 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:56:47Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease |
| spelling | doaj.art-05e37477500e4bd8a65281e00f540be22023-11-24T10:15:43ZengMDPI AGTropical Medicine and Infectious Disease2414-63662022-11-0171137410.3390/tropicalmed7110374Intestinal Helminth Infections in Ghanaian Children from the Ashanti Region between 2007 and 2008—A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Real-Time PCR-Based AssessmentCharity Wiafe Akenten0Felix Weinreich1Ellis Kobina Paintsil2John Amuasi3Dennis Fosu4Ulrike Loderstädt5Jürgen May6Hagen Frickmann7Denise Dekker8Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), South-End, Asuogya Road, Kumasi 039-5028, GhanaDepartment of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, GermanyKumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), South-End, Asuogya Road, Kumasi 039-5028, GhanaKumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), South-End, Asuogya Road, Kumasi 039-5028, GhanaKumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), South-End, Asuogya Road, Kumasi 039-5028, GhanaDepartment of Hospital Hygiene & Infectious Diseases, University Medicine Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, GermanyDepartment Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, GermanyDepartment of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Hospital Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, GermanyResearch Group One Health Bacteriology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine Hamburg, 20359 Hamburg, GermanyIn spite of ongoing eradication programs, helminth infections are still a medical issue in Ghana. For follow-up assessments on the decline of regional helminth infections, historic baseline prevalence values obtained with standardized diagnostic procedures can be helpful. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, real-time PCR targeting the nematodes <i>Ancylostoma</i> spp. (ITS2), <i>Ascaris lumbricoides</i> (ITS1), <i>Enterobius vermicularis</i> (ITS1), <i>Necator americanus</i> (ITS2), <i>Strongyloides stercoralis</i> (18S rRNA) and <i>Trichuris trichiura</i> (18S rRNA), the trematodes <i>Schistosoma</i> spp. (ITS2) as well as the cestodes <i>Hymenolepis nana</i> (ITS1), <i>Taenia saginata</i> (ITS1) and <i>Taenia solium</i> (ITS1) was applied with 2046 DNA eluates from stool samples of Ghanaian children from the Ashanti region collected between 2007 and 2008 in order to retrospectively define prevalence values. The overall prevalence was low with 3.8% (<i>n</i> = 77) and only 0.1% (<i>n</i> = 2) double infections with helminths were recorded. The three most frequently detected enteric helminth species comprised 2% <i>S. stercoralis</i> (<i>n</i> = 41), 0.8% <i>H. nana</i> (<i>n</i> = 16), and 0.7% <i>N. americanus</i> (<i>n</i> = 14), while only sporadic infection events were recorded for other helminth species comprising 0.1% <i>E. vermicularis</i> (<i>n</i> = 2), 0.1% <i>Schistosoma</i> spp. (<i>n</i> = 2), 0.1% <i>T. saginata</i> (<i>n</i> = 1) and 0.1% <i>T. trichiura</i> (<i>n</i> = 1). <i>A. lumbricoides</i>, <i>Ancylostoma</i> spp. and <i>T. solium</i> were not detected at all. In conclusion, the retrospective assessment suggests a low prevalence of enteric helminth infections in Ghanaian children from the Ashanti Region within the assessment period between 2007 and 2008.https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/7/11/374helminthepidemiologydiarrhea<i>Ascaris</i>hookworm<i>Strongyloides</i> |
| spellingShingle | Charity Wiafe Akenten Felix Weinreich Ellis Kobina Paintsil John Amuasi Dennis Fosu Ulrike Loderstädt Jürgen May Hagen Frickmann Denise Dekker Intestinal Helminth Infections in Ghanaian Children from the Ashanti Region between 2007 and 2008—A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Real-Time PCR-Based Assessment Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease helminth epidemiology diarrhea <i>Ascaris</i> hookworm <i>Strongyloides</i> |
| title | Intestinal Helminth Infections in Ghanaian Children from the Ashanti Region between 2007 and 2008—A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Real-Time PCR-Based Assessment |
| title_full | Intestinal Helminth Infections in Ghanaian Children from the Ashanti Region between 2007 and 2008—A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Real-Time PCR-Based Assessment |
| title_fullStr | Intestinal Helminth Infections in Ghanaian Children from the Ashanti Region between 2007 and 2008—A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Real-Time PCR-Based Assessment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Intestinal Helminth Infections in Ghanaian Children from the Ashanti Region between 2007 and 2008—A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Real-Time PCR-Based Assessment |
| title_short | Intestinal Helminth Infections in Ghanaian Children from the Ashanti Region between 2007 and 2008—A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Real-Time PCR-Based Assessment |
| title_sort | intestinal helminth infections in ghanaian children from the ashanti region between 2007 and 2008 a retrospective cross sectional real time pcr based assessment |
| topic | helminth epidemiology diarrhea <i>Ascaris</i> hookworm <i>Strongyloides</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/7/11/374 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT charitywiafeakenten intestinalhelminthinfectionsinghanaianchildrenfromtheashantiregionbetween2007and2008aretrospectivecrosssectionalrealtimepcrbasedassessment AT felixweinreich intestinalhelminthinfectionsinghanaianchildrenfromtheashantiregionbetween2007and2008aretrospectivecrosssectionalrealtimepcrbasedassessment AT elliskobinapaintsil intestinalhelminthinfectionsinghanaianchildrenfromtheashantiregionbetween2007and2008aretrospectivecrosssectionalrealtimepcrbasedassessment AT johnamuasi intestinalhelminthinfectionsinghanaianchildrenfromtheashantiregionbetween2007and2008aretrospectivecrosssectionalrealtimepcrbasedassessment AT dennisfosu intestinalhelminthinfectionsinghanaianchildrenfromtheashantiregionbetween2007and2008aretrospectivecrosssectionalrealtimepcrbasedassessment AT ulrikeloderstadt intestinalhelminthinfectionsinghanaianchildrenfromtheashantiregionbetween2007and2008aretrospectivecrosssectionalrealtimepcrbasedassessment AT jurgenmay intestinalhelminthinfectionsinghanaianchildrenfromtheashantiregionbetween2007and2008aretrospectivecrosssectionalrealtimepcrbasedassessment AT hagenfrickmann intestinalhelminthinfectionsinghanaianchildrenfromtheashantiregionbetween2007and2008aretrospectivecrosssectionalrealtimepcrbasedassessment AT denisedekker intestinalhelminthinfectionsinghanaianchildrenfromtheashantiregionbetween2007and2008aretrospectivecrosssectionalrealtimepcrbasedassessment |