7th Call - Dr. Osbourne Quaye

Project Title: Preliminary Molecular Characterization of Human Gastroviral Agents in Breman Asikuma in the Central Region of Ghana

Principal Investigator: Dr. Osbourne Quaye(Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology)

Email Address: oquaye@ug.edu.gh

Award Amount: GHC 4,988.00

Project Status: On-going

Summary:

Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in children and accounts for about a million deaths annually (Liu et al., 2012). Mortality for AGE is higher in developing countries than in developed ones, and as such, a huge public health problem in global regions like Africa and South East Asia. Viral gastroenteritis is predominantly caused by Group A rotaviruses and noroviruses (approximately 40%). However, other viruses such as adenovirus, astrovirus, sapovirus and bocavirus have also been shown to cause severe diarrhea (Dennehy et al., 2001; Farkas et al., 2004; Zintz et al., 2005; Cheng et al., 2008; Arthur et al., 2009). A recent population-based study on the etiologic role of enteric viruses other than rotavirus and norovirus in children under age 5 years reporting to hospitals with AGE in three counties in the United States observed that 22% of diarrhea samples that tested negative for rotavirus and norovirus were positive for adenovirus, astrovirus and sapovirus (Chhabra et al., 2013). A significant number of mixed infections were also detected with norovirus-astrovirus and norovirus-sapovirus combinations being the most common. In Ghana, diarrhea is implicated in the death of about 11% of all children under the age of 5 years (Black et al., 2010) with rotavirus being the most responsible for severe diarrhea (Hori et al., 1996; Reither et al., 2007). A molecular characterization of gastroenteric agents in children below 5 years of age in the northern part of Ghana showed that rotavirus, adenovirus and norovirus were the most commonly detected pathogens in acute diarrhea cases (Reither et al., 2007; Silva et al., 2008). Last year, immunization with rotavirus vaccine was introduced into the Primary Health Care system in Ghana after a clinical trial proved to be significantly efficacious (Armah et al., 2010). A population-based surveillance study for AGE will be very important in understanding the impact of viral gastroenteritis to severe diarrhea in the post rotavirus vaccine introduction era. Previous gastroviral surveillance studies in Ghana have been conducted in rural communities in the northern part of Ghana or urban communities in the south. The study site therefore provides a sub-urban setting, and links major cities like Accra and Cape Coast with rural areas in the southwestern part of Ghana was therefore chosen. In addition to Breman Asikuma being a sub-urban community, no gastroviral agent surveillance studies have also been done in the area. Specific objectives of the study include 1. To identify and characterize the viral gastroenteritis agents that are circulating in the population, with rotavirus, norovirus, adenovirus, astrovirus, sapovirus and bocavirus as targets. 2. To determine whether rotavirus and/or norovirus are still the leading cause of AGE. 3. To determine if other viruses other than rotavirus and norovirus (including adenovirus, astrovirus, sapovirus and bocavirus) do cause diarrhea in Ghanaian children, and to what extent do they contribute to AGE.

In the end the diarrhea burden due to rotavirus is expected to decrease in the post-vaccine introduction era, and therefore allow the detection and better estimation of other viruses that are also associated with AGE.