Artikel
Molecular epidemiology and immunological responses to SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses in selected urban and rural areas of Ghana
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Autoren
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George Agyei
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, KNUST, Ghana; Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Ghana
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Michael Owusu
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Ghana; Department of Medical Diagnostics, KNUST, Ghana
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Philip El-Duah
- Institute of Virology, Charité – University Medicine Berlin, Germany
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Augustina Sylverken
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Ghana; Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, KNUST, Ghana
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Rexford Mawunyo Dumevi
- Institute of Virology, Charité – University Medicine Berlin, Germany
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Yaw Adu-Sarkodie
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, KNUST, Ghana
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Richard Odame Phillips
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Ghana
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Christian Drosten
- Institute of Virology, Charité – University Medicine Berlin, Germany
| Veröffentlicht: | 28. November 2023 |
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Gliederung
Text
Research question: This study seeks to answer the following questions:
- 1.
- What is the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses (RVs) in the selected urban and rural areas of Ghana?
- 2.
- What are the host immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses among study participants?
- 3.
- What are the socio-demographic characteristics, and risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses?
- 4.
- What are the various lineages of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses among study participants?
Methods: We are sampling nasopharyngeal swabs and blood (serum) from participants above 10 years from two urban (Kumasi and Tamale) and three rural (Buoyem, Forikrom and Obuasi) areas in Ghana. Their socio-demography, clinical symptoms, and vaccination status will be taken with structured questionnaires. Viral RNA will be extracted and tested with a pan-Sarbecovirus real-time RT-PCR and samples with Ct=30 will be sequenced. Serum samples will be tested with ELISA for antibodies against spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins. The data will be analyzed using R programming language version 4.3.0.
Expected results: Various strains detected shall be reported. The mean concentration of IgG levels shall be analyzed using R to determine the difference in seroprevalence P1 and P2 for rural and urban areas respectively after the time-point-1 sampling and analysis. Time-point-2 blood sampling will be done after one year for participants who will test positive to determine their longevity/waning of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2.
Discussion: Information gathered will be essential for policymakers to prioritize health strategies and assess the effectiveness of public health measures implemented during the pandemic. Measures employed in Ghana to avert the effects of COVID-19 included non-pharmaceutical interventions and vaccination campaigns. The usefulness of these interventions has not been fully evaluated in the population. Understanding the prevailing levels of exposure and immunity in different sociodemographic contexts provides an important overview of the epidemiology of the virus in these populations. Findings shall provide useful baseline data that will inform further molecular-epidemiological and immunological studies on SARS-CoV-2 and other RVs in West-Africa.
