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Quarcoo G, Boamah Adomako LA, Abrahamyan A, Armoo S, Sylverken AA, Addo MG, Alaverdyan S, Jessani NS, Harries AD, Ahmed H, Banu RA, Borbor S, Akrong MO, Amonoo NA, Bekoe EMO, Osei-Atweneboana MY, Zachariah R. What Is in the Salad? Escherichia coli and Antibiotic Resistance in Lettuce Irrigated with Various Water Sources in Ghana. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 19:12722. [PMID: 36232021 PMCID: PMC9565013 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Safety of the environment in which vegetables are grown, marketed and consumed is paramount as most are eaten raw. Irrigation sources include open drains and streams, which are often contaminated with human and animal waste due to poor sanitation infrastructure. In irrigated vegetable farms using such sources in Ghana, we assessed Escherichia coli counts, antibiotic resistance patterns and resistant genes on irrigated lettuce. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted between January-May 2022, involving five major vegetable farms in Ghana. RESULTS Escherichia coli was found in all 25 composite lettuce samples analyzed. Counts expressed in CFU/g ranged from 186 to 3000, with the highest counts found in lettuce irrigated from open drains (1670) and tap water using hose pipes (3000). Among all bacterial isolates, resistance ranged between 49% and 70% for the Watch group of antibiotics, 59% for the Reserved group and 82% were multidrug-resistant. Of 125 isolates, 60 (48%) were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing, of which five (8%) had the blaTEM-resistant gene. CONCLUSIONS Lettuce was contaminated with Escherichia coli with high levels of antibiotic resistance. We call on the Ghana Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Food and Drugs Authority and other stakeholders to support farmers to implement measures for improving vegetable safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerard Quarcoo
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute, Achimota P.O. Box AH 38, Ghana
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Private Mail Bag, University Post Office, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Lady A. Boamah Adomako
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute, Achimota P.O. Box AH 38, Ghana
| | | | - Samuel Armoo
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute, Achimota P.O. Box AH 38, Ghana
| | - Augustina A. Sylverken
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Private Mail Bag, University Post Office, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Private Mail Bag, University Post Office, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Matthew Glover Addo
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Private Mail Bag, University Post Office, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Sevak Alaverdyan
- Tuberculosis Research and Prevention Center, Yerevan 0014, Armenia
| | - Nasreen S. Jessani
- Centre for Evidence-Based Health Care, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Anthony D. Harries
- International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 75001 Paris, France
- Department of Clinical Research, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Hawa Ahmed
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute, Achimota P.O. Box AH 38, Ghana
| | - Regina A. Banu
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute, Achimota P.O. Box AH 38, Ghana
| | - Selorm Borbor
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute, Achimota P.O. Box AH 38, Ghana
| | - Mark O. Akrong
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute, Achimota P.O. Box AH 38, Ghana
| | - Nana A. Amonoo
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute, Achimota P.O. Box AH 38, Ghana
| | - Emmanuel M. O. Bekoe
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute, Achimota P.O. Box AH 38, Ghana
| | - Mike Y. Osei-Atweneboana
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Water Research Institute, Achimota P.O. Box AH 38, Ghana
| | - Rony Zachariah
- United Nations Children Fund, United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, World Health Organization, Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) WHO, 20, Avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
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Sarpong-Baidoo M, Ofori MF, Asuming-Brempong EK, Kyei-Baafour E, Idun BK, Owusu-Frimpong I, Amonoo NA, Quarshie QD, Tettevi EJ, Osei-Atweneboana MY. Associations of IL13 gene polymorphisms and immune factors with Schistosoma haematobium infection in schoolchildren in four schistosomiasis-endemic communities in Ghana. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009455. [PMID: 34185775 PMCID: PMC8274844 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2020] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schistosomiasis remains a major public health issue with over 90% of the prevalence rates recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, the relationships between different interleukin gene polymorphisms (IL-13-591A/G, IL-13-1055C/T, IL-13-1258A/G) and Schistosoma haematobium infection levels were evaluated; as well as the host plasma antibodies and cytokine profiles associated with schistosomiasis infection. METHODOLOGY A total of 469 school children aged 6 to 19 years from four schistosomiasis-endemic communities in Ghana were involved. Single urine and stool samples were obtained from each pupil, processed via sedimentation and Kato-Katz, and examined via microscopy for Schistosoma and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) eggs. Next, venous blood samples were drawn from 350 healthy pupils, and used to measure antibody and plasma cytokine levels by ELISA. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the IL-13 gene were genotyped on 71 selected blood samples using the Mass Array technique. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION The overall prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis was 21.11%. Community-level prevalences were 17.12%, 32.11%, 20.80%, and 15.32% for Asempaneye, Barikumah, Eyan Akotoguah, and Apewosika respectively. Generally, higher S. haematobium infection prevalence and intensity were recorded for participants with genotypes bearing the IL13-1055C allele, the IL13-591A, and the IL13-1258A alleles. Also, higher S. haematobium infection prevalence was observed among participants in the 12-14-year age group with the IL13-1055C, IL13-591A, and IL13-1258A alleles. Interestingly, higher STH prevalence was also observed among participants with the IL13-1055C, IL13-591A, and IL13-1258A alleles. Furthermore, the age-associated trends of measured antibodies and cytokines of S. haematobium-infected school-children depicted a more pro-inflammatory immune profile for pupils aged up to 1l years, and an increasingly anti-inflammatory profile for pupils aged 12 years and above. This work provides insight into the influence of IL-13 gene polymorphisms on S. haematobium, and STH infections, in school-aged children (SAC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Sarpong-Baidoo
- Biomedical and Public Health Research Unit, CSIR- Water Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Accra, Ghana
- Department of Animal Biology and Conservation Sciences, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Michael F. Ofori
- Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Elias Kwesi Asuming-Brempong
- Biomedical and Public Health Research Unit, CSIR- Water Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Accra, Ghana
| | - Eric Kyei-Baafour
- Department of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Bright K. Idun
- Biomedical and Public Health Research Unit, CSIR- Water Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Accra, Ghana
| | - Isaac Owusu-Frimpong
- Biomedical and Public Health Research Unit, CSIR- Water Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Accra, Ghana
| | - Nana A. Amonoo
- Biomedical and Public Health Research Unit, CSIR- Water Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Accra, Ghana
| | - Queenstar D. Quarshie
- Biomedical and Public Health Research Unit, CSIR- Water Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Accra, Ghana
| | - Edward J. Tettevi
- Biomedical and Public Health Research Unit, CSIR- Water Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Accra, Ghana
| | - Mike Y. Osei-Atweneboana
- Biomedical and Public Health Research Unit, CSIR- Water Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Accra, Ghana
- * E-mail:
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