scholarly journals Molecular Characterization and Clinical Description of Non-Polio Enteroviruses Detected in Stool Samples from HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Adults in Ghana

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 221
Author(s):  
Veronica Di Cristanziano ◽  
Kristina Weimer ◽  
Sindy Böttcher ◽  
Fred Stephen Sarfo ◽  
Albert Dompreh ◽  
...  

In the post-polio eradication era, increasing attention is given to non-polio enteroviruses. Most of the data about enteroviruses in sub-Saharan Africa are related to acute flaccid paralysis surveillance and target the pediatric population. This study aimed to investigate the presence of enterovirus in PLHIV (people living with HIV) and HIV-negative individuals in Ghana. Stool samples from HIV-positive individuals (n = 250) and healthy blood donors (n = 102) attending the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana, were screened by real-time PCR for enterovirus. Molecular typing of the VP1 region was performed. Enterovirus-positive samples were tested for norovirus, adenovirus, rotavirus, sapovirus, and cosaviruses. Twenty-six out of 250 HIV-positive subjects (10.4%) and 14 out of 102 HIV-negative individuals (13.7%) were detected enterovirus-positive, not showing a significant different infection rate between the two groups. HIV-negative individuals were infected with Enterovirus C strains only. HIV-positive participants were detected positive for species Enterovirus A, Enterovirus B, and Enterovirus C. Co-infections with other viral enteric pathogens were almost exclusively detected among HIV-positive participants. Overall, the present study provides the first data about enteroviruses within HIV-positive and HIV-negative adults living in Ghana.

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patience Adzordor ◽  
Clement Avoka ◽  
Vitalis Bawontuo ◽  
Silas Agbesi ◽  
Desmond Kuupiel

Abstract Background Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) homes most of the people living with HIV/AIDS in the world. Adolescents/young people are a vulnerable population and at high risk of HIV infection. Identifying and bridging the research gaps on the disclosure of HIV-positive status among adolescents, particularly to their sexual partners, is essential to inform appropriate policy planning and implementation towards preventing HIV transmission. This study will aim to explore literature and describe the evidence on HIV-positive status disclosure among adolescents in SSA. Methods The framework provided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and improved by Levac and colleagues will be used to conduct a scoping review. A keyword search for relevant literature presenting evidence on HIV-positive status disclosure among adolescents in SSA will be conducted in CINAHL, PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and SCOPUS. Date limitations will be removed, but Boolean terms “AND” and “OR” as well as Medical Subject Headings terms will be included where possible and syntax modified to suit the database during the search. Additional relevant articles will be sought from the reference lists of all included studies using a snowballing method. Two reviewers will independently screen the articles at the abstract and full-text screening phases in order to reduce bias and improve the reliability of this study’s findings. A tabular form will be developed using Microsoft Word and piloted for data extraction. Thematic content analysis will be conducted, and a narrative summary of all relevant outcomes reported. Quality appraisal of the included studies for this proposed study will be performed utilizing the recent mixed methods appraisal tool. Discussion The evidence produced by this review may help inform policy and strategies to reduce the incidence of HIV infection among adolescents and improve social support for adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in SSA. It may also reveal literature gaps to guide future researches to further inform HIV policies for adolescents in SSA. Platforms such as peer review journals, policy briefs, and conferences will be used to disseminate this study’s findings.


2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 186-196
Author(s):  
Kwasi Torpey ◽  
Adwoa Agyei-Nkansah ◽  
Lily Ogyiri ◽  
Audrey Forson ◽  
Margaret Lartey ◽  
...  

Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV are strongly linked. There is a 19 times increased risk of developing active TB in people living with HIV than in HIV-negative people with Sub-Saharan Africa being the hardest hit region. According to the WHO, 1.3 million people died from TB, and an additional 300,000 TB-related deaths among people living with HIV. Although some progress has been made in reducing TB-related deaths among people living with HIV due to the evolution of diagnostics, treatment and antiretroviral HIV treatment, multi drug resistant TB is becoming a source of worry. Though significant progress has been made at the national level, understanding the state of the evidence and the challenges will better inform the national response of the opportunities for improved patient outcomes.Keywords: Tuberculosis, management, HIV, MDR TB, GhanaFunding: None


Author(s):  
Grace Gachanja

The aim of this research brief is to describe a study that sought to understand the post-disclosure experiences of HIV-positive and negative children after they received disclosure of their own and their parents’ illnesses, respectively. This is the first study from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that describes the post-disclosure experiences of HIV-positive and negative children in one study. Prior studies in SSA have mostly centered on the post-disclosure experiences of HIV-positive children after receiving disclosure of their own illnesses, or HIV-positive mothers’ descriptions of the effect of maternal disclosure on their HIV-negative children.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Gachanja

The aim of this research brief is to describe a study that sought to understand the post-disclosure experiences of HIV-positive and negative children after they received disclosure of their own and their parents’ illnesses, respectively. This is the first study from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that describes the post-disclosure experiences of HIV-positive and negative children in one study. Prior studies in SSA have mostly centered on the post-disclosure experiences of HIV-positive children after receiving disclosure of their own illnesses, or HIV-positive mothers’ descriptions of the effect of maternal disclosure on their HIV-negative children.


2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Gachanja ◽  
Gary J Burkholder ◽  
Aimee Ferraro

The aim of this research brief is to describe a study that examined the lived experiences of HIV-positive parents and their biological HIV-positive and negative children before, during, and after the HIV disclosure process in Kenya. This is the first study from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that provides perspectives on HIV disclosure of a parent’s and a child’s illness from the viewpoints of HIV-positive parents, HIV-positive children, and HIV-negative children. Prior studies in SSA have mostly centered on disclosure to HIV-positive children (of their own illnesses) and others have reported on parents disclosing their illnesses to their children. Key Aspects of HIV Disclosure to Children: 1. Disclosure should be performed as a process. 2. It is a parent’s decision on when to disclose but also a child’s right to be told about his/her own, a parent’s, and other family member’s illnesses and deaths. 3. Healthcare professionals should help parents prepare for and disclose family member’s illnesses and prior deaths to their children. 4. Disclosure should preferably be performed when both the parent and child are in good health. 5. Disclosure should be performed when a child shows understanding of the illness and/or maturity. 6. Disclosure planning should include a determination of who is the most suitable person to disclose to a child. 7. Disclosure should be postponed until animportant life event (e.g., taking a national school examination) has occurred. The original research article is located at: https://peerj.com/articles/486.pdf


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Gachanja

Some HIV affected families in Kenya have a combination of HIV-positive and negative children within the household. HIV-positive and negative children are known to experience variable effects following disclosure of their own and their parents’ illnesses respectively. Most studies conducted on the effects of disclosure on children have been with HIV-positive children and mother-child dyads. There has been limited involvement of HIV-negative children in HIV disclosure studies in Sub-Saharan Africa. A larger study was conducted to understand the lived experiences of HIV-positive parents and their children during the disclosure process in Kenya. Seven HIV-positive and five HIV-negative children participated in that study. In the current study, the experiences of these 12 children after receiving disclosure of their own and their parents’ illnesses respectively are presented. Each child underwent an in-depth qualitative semi-structured digitally recorded interview. The recorded interviews were transcribed and loaded into NVivo8 for phenomenological data analysis. Five themes emerged from the data showing that HIV-positive and negative children have varying post-disclosure experiences revolving around acceptance of illness, stigma and discrimination, medication consumption, sexual awareness, and use of coping mechanisms. HIV-negative children accepted their parents’ illnesses faster than HIV-positive children accepted their own illnesses; the later also reported facing more stigma and discrimination. HIV-negative children wanted their parents to take their medications, stay healthy, and pay their school fees; HIV-positive children viewed medication consumption as an ordeal necessary to keep them healthy. HIV-negative children wanted their parents to speak to them about sexual-related matters; HIV-positive children had lingering questions about relationships, use of condoms, marriage, and childbearing options. The majority of children coped by speaking about their circumstances to a person close to them and also self-withdrawing to be by themselves when feeling overwhelmed. Pending further studies conducted with larger sample sizes, the results of this study can be used by healthcare professionals to better facilitate disclosure between HIV-positive parents and their children of mixed HIV statuses.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257324
Author(s):  
Oppah Kuguyo ◽  
Racheal S. Dube Mandishora ◽  
Nicholas Ekow Thomford ◽  
Rudo Makunike-Mutasa ◽  
Charles F. B. Nhachi ◽  
...  

Background High-risk human papillomavirus HPV (HR-HPV) modifies cervical cancer risk in people living with HIV, yet African populations are under-represented. We aimed to compare the frequency, multiplicity and consanguinity of HR-HPVs in HIV-negative and HIV-positive Zimbabwean women. Methods This was a cross-sectional study consisting of women with histologically confirmed cervical cancer attending Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare, Zimbabwe. Information on HIV status was also collected for comparative analysis. Genomic DNA was extracted from 258 formalin fixed paraffin embedded tumour tissue samples, and analysed for 14 HR-HPV genotypes. Data was analysed using Graphpad Prism and STATA. Results Forty-five percent of the cohort was HIV-positive, with a median age of 51 (IQR = 42–62) years. HR-HPV positivity was detected in 96% of biospecimens analysed. HPV16 (48%), was the most prevalent genotype, followed by HPV35 (26%), HPV18 (25%), HPV58 (11%) and HPV33 (10%), irrespective of HIV status. One third of the cohort harboured a single HPV infection, and HPV16 (41%), HPV18 (21%) and HPV35 (21%) were the most prevalent. HIV status did not influence the prevalence and rate of multiple HPV infections (p>0.05). We reported significant (p<0.05) consanguinity of HPV16/18 (OR = 0.3; 95% CI = 0.1–0.9), HPV16/33 (OR = 0.3; 95% CI = 0.1–1.0), HPV16/35 (OR = 3.3; 95% CI = 2.0–6.0), HPV35/51 (OR = 6.0; 95%CI = 1.8–15.0); HPV39/51 (OR = 6.4; 95% CI = 1.8–15), HPV31/52 (OR = 6.2; 95% CI = 1.8–15), HPV39/56 (OR = 11 95% CI = 8–12), HPV59/68 (OR = 8.2; 95% CI = 5.3–12.4), HPV66/68 (OR = 7; 95% CI = 2.4–13.5), independent of age and HIV status. Conclusion We found that HIV does not influence the frequency, multiplicity and consanguinity of HR-HPV in cervical cancer. For the first time, we report high prevalence of HPV35 among women with confirmed cervical cancer in Zimbabwe, providing additional evidence of HPV diversity in sub-Saharan Africa. The data obtained here probes the need for larger prospective studies to further elucidate HPV diversity and possibility of selective pressure on genotypes.


2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Gachanja ◽  
Gary J Burkholder ◽  
Aimee Ferraro

The aim of this research brief is to describe a study that examined the lived experiences of HIV-positive parents and their biological HIV-positive and negative children before, during, and after the HIV disclosure process in Kenya. This is the first study from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that provides perspectives on HIV disclosure of a parent’s and a child’s illness from the viewpoints of HIV-positive parents, HIV-positive children, and HIV-negative children. Prior studies in SSA have mostly centered on disclosure to HIV-positive children (of their own illnesses) and others have reported on parents disclosing their illnesses to their children. Key Aspects of HIV Disclosure to Children: 1. Disclosure should be performed as a process. 2. It is a parent’s decision on when to disclose but also a child’s right to be told about his/her own, a parent’s, and other family member’s illnesses and deaths. 3. Healthcare professionals should help parents prepare for and disclose family member’s illnesses and prior deaths to their children. 4. Disclosure should preferably be performed when both the parent and child are in good health. 5. Disclosure should be performed when a child shows understanding of the illness and/or maturity. 6. Disclosure planning should include a determination of who is the most suitable person to disclose to a child. 7. Disclosure should be postponed until animportant life event (e.g., taking a national school examination) has occurred. The original research article is located at: https://peerj.com/articles/486.pdf


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