title: Clonal types of Toxoplasma gondii among immune compromised and immune competent individuals in Accra, Ghana.
abstract: There are three major clonal lineages, types I, II, and III, of Toxoplasma gondii known to cause human toxoplasmosis worldwide. Toxoplasma gondii infections have, however, not been genotyped in Ghana. This study detected the clonal types infecting immune compromised and immune competent individuals in Accra, Ghana. Blood samples were obtained from 148 HIV seropositive pre-antiretroviral therapy individuals (0 ≤ CD4(+) T-cell count/μl blood ≤ 200) at the Fevers Unit and 149 HIV seronegative apparently healthy blood donors at the blood bank, all of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Genomic DNA was extracted and multilocus genotyping conducted by nested PCR-RFLP analysis using GRA6, SAG3, and BTUB gene markers. Among the HIV seropositive participants, 54.7% (81/148) were T. gondii DNA positive for any of the markers. Out of the 81, 42.0% (34) were positive for SAG3 only, 30.9% (25) for GRA6 only, 24.7% (20) for both SAG3 and GRA6, and 2.5% (2) for SAG3, GRA6, and BTUB. Overall, 93.8% of the positives were of clonal type II, 1.2% type I, while 4.9% (4) were atypical or mixed types (I and II). In the healthy blood donors, prevalence of T. gondii DNA positivity was 3.4% (5/149) by SAG3 and/or GRA6; among them, 60.0% (3/5) were type I, and the remaining 40.0%, type II. This study showed a relatively high prevalence of active T. gondii infections in immune compromised patients and low prevalence in immune competent individuals in Accra. Type II was highly prevalent. Detection of T. gondii in blood donors raises public health concerns and screening for T. gondii should be considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Accra, Ghana. Electronic address: IAyi@noguchi.ug.edu.gh.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ayi
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Kofi Dadzie
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Kwofie
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Accra, Ghana; Department of Environmental Parasitology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan.
authors.forename: Emmanuel Awusah
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Blay
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Joseph Harold Nyarko
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Osei
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Kwadwo Kyeremeh
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Frempong
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Koku
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghansah
authors.affiliation: Fevers Unit, School of Medicine and Dentistry, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lartey
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Accra, Ghana; Department of Environmental Parasitology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Daniel Adjei
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Boakye
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Kwadwo Ansah
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Koram
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Parasitology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohta
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics; D060005:Genotyping Techniques; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014123:Toxoplasmosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D005819:Genetic Markers
keywords: Clonal types; Ghana; Immune competent; Immune compromised; Nested PCR-RFLP; Toxoplasma gondii