Aetiology of Acute Lower Respiratory Infections among Children Under Five Years in Accra, Ghana
The study aimed to investigate the aetiological agents and clinical presentations associated with acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) among children under five years old at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana. This was a cross-sectional study carried from February to December 2001. Nasoph...
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MDPI AG
2015-01-01
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| Series: | Pathogens |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/4/1/22 |
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| author | Theophilus K. Adiku Richard H. Asmah Onike Rodrigues Bamenla Goka Evangeline Obodai Andrew A. Adjei Eric S. Donkor George Armah |
| author_facet | Theophilus K. Adiku Richard H. Asmah Onike Rodrigues Bamenla Goka Evangeline Obodai Andrew A. Adjei Eric S. Donkor George Armah |
| author_sort | Theophilus K. Adiku |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The study aimed to investigate the aetiological agents and clinical presentations associated with acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) among children under five years old at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana. This was a cross-sectional study carried from February to December 2001. Nasopharyngeal aspirates and venous blood specimens obtained from 108 children with features suggestive of ALRI, were cultured and the isolated bacterial organisms were identified biochemically. Nasopharyngeal aspirates were also tested for Respiratory Syncitial Virus (RSV) antigen using a commercial kit (Becton Dickinson Directigen RSV test kit). A multiplex reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) was also used to detect and characterize RSV using extracted RNA. Socio-demographic and clinical data were also obtained from the study subjects. Bronchopneumonia (55.5%), bronchiolitis (25%), lobar pneumonia (10.2), non-specific ALRI (4.6%), TB, bronchitis and respiratory distress (0.67%) were diagnosed. The prevalence of septicaemia was 10% and bacteria isolated were Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and enteric bacteria, including Salmonella spp., Enterobacter spp and Klebsiella spp, were isolated. Out of the 108 cases, 18% tested positive for RSV, with two cases having RSV as the only aetiological pathogen detected. The subtyping analysis of RSV strains by a multiplex RT-PCR showed that subgroups A and B circulated in the season of analysis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T09:14:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cca212b3d14e4c2e8d85adeee33882e3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T09:14:46Z |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj.art-cca212b3d14e4c2e8d85adeee33882e32022-12-22T02:52:46ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172015-01-0141223310.3390/pathogens4010022pathogens4010022Aetiology of Acute Lower Respiratory Infections among Children Under Five Years in Accra, GhanaTheophilus K. Adiku0Richard H. Asmah1Onike Rodrigues2Bamenla Goka3Evangeline Obodai4Andrew A. Adjei5Eric S. Donkor6George Armah7Department of Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, GhanaDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, GhanaDepartment of Child Health, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, GhanaDepartment of Child Health, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, GhanaDepartment of Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, GhanaDepartment of Pathology, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, GhanaDepartment of Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, GhanaDepartment of Electron Microscopy and Histopathology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, GhanaThe study aimed to investigate the aetiological agents and clinical presentations associated with acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) among children under five years old at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana. This was a cross-sectional study carried from February to December 2001. Nasopharyngeal aspirates and venous blood specimens obtained from 108 children with features suggestive of ALRI, were cultured and the isolated bacterial organisms were identified biochemically. Nasopharyngeal aspirates were also tested for Respiratory Syncitial Virus (RSV) antigen using a commercial kit (Becton Dickinson Directigen RSV test kit). A multiplex reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) was also used to detect and characterize RSV using extracted RNA. Socio-demographic and clinical data were also obtained from the study subjects. Bronchopneumonia (55.5%), bronchiolitis (25%), lobar pneumonia (10.2), non-specific ALRI (4.6%), TB, bronchitis and respiratory distress (0.67%) were diagnosed. The prevalence of septicaemia was 10% and bacteria isolated were Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and enteric bacteria, including Salmonella spp., Enterobacter spp and Klebsiella spp, were isolated. Out of the 108 cases, 18% tested positive for RSV, with two cases having RSV as the only aetiological pathogen detected. The subtyping analysis of RSV strains by a multiplex RT-PCR showed that subgroups A and B circulated in the season of analysis.http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/4/1/22acute respiratory infectionsRespiratory Syncitial VirusStaphylococcus aureus |
| spellingShingle | Theophilus K. Adiku Richard H. Asmah Onike Rodrigues Bamenla Goka Evangeline Obodai Andrew A. Adjei Eric S. Donkor George Armah Aetiology of Acute Lower Respiratory Infections among Children Under Five Years in Accra, Ghana Pathogens acute respiratory infections Respiratory Syncitial Virus Staphylococcus aureus |
| title | Aetiology of Acute Lower Respiratory Infections among Children Under Five Years in Accra, Ghana |
| title_full | Aetiology of Acute Lower Respiratory Infections among Children Under Five Years in Accra, Ghana |
| title_fullStr | Aetiology of Acute Lower Respiratory Infections among Children Under Five Years in Accra, Ghana |
| title_full_unstemmed | Aetiology of Acute Lower Respiratory Infections among Children Under Five Years in Accra, Ghana |
| title_short | Aetiology of Acute Lower Respiratory Infections among Children Under Five Years in Accra, Ghana |
| title_sort | aetiology of acute lower respiratory infections among children under five years in accra ghana |
| topic | acute respiratory infections Respiratory Syncitial Virus Staphylococcus aureus |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/4/1/22 |
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