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Background Malaria remains a major public health challenge in Ghana, with the entire population at risk of infection. Although the national prevalence has declined in recent years, malaria continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality. Aim This retrospective observational study aimed to map malaria risk zones in the Oti Region using environmental factors. Methods Malaria incidence and hotspots were analyzed using the Getis‐Ord Gi* statistic in Esri ArcMap. Environmental factors influencing Anopheles mosquito breeding and malaria transmission were assessed using a Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) model. Generalized additive model (GAM) and support vector machine (SVM) were applied to predict malaria risk across the Oti Region. Results Malaria cases were unevenly distributed across the Oti Region, with Krachi East and Nkwanta South identified as persistent hotspots for malaria. These regions reported 91,376 and 73,592 cases, respectively, over 3 years. Furthermore, elevation (with feature importance, 27.60%), land surface temperature (LST) (from 22°C to 32°C) (25.48%), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) (23.12%), and distance to rivers (20.00%) were the significant environmental factors affecting mosquito breeding and, consequently, malaria susceptibility within the study area. Conclusion These findings provide valuable insights for guiding targeted control efforts and resource allocation in the Oti Region, focusing on addressing the identified environmental risk factors to mitigate malaria transmission in the area.

Filarial infections caused by nematodes are one of the major neglected tropical diseases with public health concern. Although there is significant decrease in microfilariae (mf) prevalence following mass drug administration (IVM/DEC/ALB administration), this is transient, in that there is reported microfilaria repopulation 6-12 months after treatment. Wolbachia bacteria have been recommended as a novel target presenting antibiotic-based treatment for filarial disease. Potency of antibiotics against filarial diseases is undoubtful, however, the duration for treatment remains a hurdle yet to be overcome in filarial disease treatment.

Background The fight against schistosomiasis (urogenital and intestinal) has prolonged more than expected with more areas that were previously known to have less or no incidence of infection now recording alarming incidence rate. Researchers and stakeholders are now concerned about what is probably sustaining the possible infection, and one of the leading hypotheses is the zoonotic forms of the species playing a major role. Aim In Africa, livestock and their owners stay in proximity, thereby bringing together both human and livestock schistosomes. Schistosoma haematobium (human) and Schistosoma bovis (livestock) have the same snail host and can result in hybridization during the sexual phase of the parasite development in the mammalian host. These genetic spillovers lead to hybrid formation of schistosomes which can be problematic for diagnosis, treatment, and control programs. Conclusion Although there is less data on the ability of hybrid to cause resistance on praziquantel, experts suggest a possibility. This review calls for researchers, experts, and stakeholders to come together to provide empirical data on this menace especially on the prevailing Schistosoma species in livestock on the African continent.

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a mosquito-borne neglected tropical disease that causes disfiguring of the affected extremities, often leading to permanent disability and stigma. Described as a disease of poverty, the impact of socioeconomic indicators such as nutrition on LF remains largely unexplored. This cross-sectional study investigates nutritional predictors implicated in the progression of LF using machine learning methods in the Ahanta West Municipality, Ghana. There were 109 participants with a mean age of 50.72±13.8, and three-quarters being females. Only 14 (12.8%) each had comorbidities or LF-related wounds. Nutrition risk assessment showed 70.7% of participants were either malnourished or at risk of being malnourished. The prevalence of anemia was 84.0%. Dietary assessment indicates marked macro- and micronutrient intake with 98.2% protein, 75.2% fat, and 73.4% carbohydrate inadequacies. There were inadequate intakes of minerals: Calcium (100%), Potassium (91.7%) and Zinc (91.7%); and vitamins: Vitamin B12 (81.7%), Vitamin C (75.2%), Niacin (70.6%), and Vitamin B6 (68.8%). The decision tree and random forest models show vitamins C and K and blood pressure as the most important predictors of LF progression. Other predictors include body mass index, anemia, folate, and age. These findings suggest that maintaining healthy blood pressure and adequate intake of vitamins C and K may slow LF progression. This highlights the importance of nutritional intervention and underscores the need for integrated approaches that address nutritional deficiencies and LF management strategies.

Background Lymphatic Filariasis (LF), a parasitic nematode infection, poses a huge economic burden to affected countries. LF endemicity is localized and its prevalence is spatially heterogeneous. In Ghana, there exists differences in LF prevalence and multiplicity of symptoms in the country’s northern and southern parts. Species distribution models (SDMs) have been utilized to explore the suite of risk factors that influence the transmission of LF in these geographically distinct regions. Methods Presence-absence records of microfilaria ( mf ) cases were stratified into northern and southern zones and used to run SDMs, while climate, socioeconomic, and land cover variables provided explanatory information. Generalized Linear Model (GLM), Generalized Boosted Model (GBM), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Surface Range Envelope (SRE), Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS), and Random Forests (RF) algorithms were run for both study zones and also for the entire country for comparison. Results Best model quality was obtained with RF and GBM algorithms with the highest Area under the Curve (AUC) of 0.98 and 0.95, respectively. The models predicted high suitable environments for LF transmission in the short grass savanna (northern) and coastal (southern) areas of Ghana. Mainly, land cover and socioeconomic variables such as proximity to inland water bodies and population density uniquely influenced LF transmission in the south. At the same time, poor housing was a distinctive risk factor in the north. Precipitation, temperature, slope, and poverty were common risk factors but with subtle variations in response values, which were confirmed by the countrywide model. Conclusions This study has demonstrated that different variable combinations influence the occurrence of lymphatic filariasis in northern and southern Ghana. Thus, an understanding of the geographic distinctness in risk factors is required to inform on the development of area-specific transmission control systems towards LF elimination in Ghana and internationally.

Background Human lymphatic filarial pathology is the leading cause of disability and poverty among people living with the infection. The second goal of the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) is to manage the disease’s morbidity to improve patients’ quality of life. Consequently, the current study assessed the overall quality of life of lymphatic filariasis (LF) pathology patients in some selected endemic communities in rural Ghana. Method In the present study, the Lymphatic Filariasis Quality of Life Questionnaire (LFSQQ) was used to evaluate the effect of lymphatic filariasis on the quality of life of people, with the disease in nine (9) communities in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region of Ghana where mass drug administration is being implemented for the past twenty years. Pearson’s correlation, linear regression, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) analyses were used to assess the associations between the LFSQQ instrument domains. Results Of the 155 study participants recruited, 115 (74.19%) were females, and 40 (25.81%) males. A greater proportion of the study participants (40, 25.8%) were presented with stage two (2) lymphoedema, while only two patients had stage seven (7) lymphoedema. The average of the overall quality of life scores of study participants was 68.24. There was a negative Pearson correlation ( r =  − 0.504, p- value < 0.001) between the stage of lymphoedema (severity of the disease) and the quality of life of the LF patients. In addition, a clear pattern of positive correlation ( r =  0.71, p- value < 0.001) was observed between the disease burden and pain/discomfort domains of the study participants. Whereas the highest domain-specific score (85.03) was observed in the domain of self-care, we noted that the environmental domain, which consists of the financial status, was the lowest (45.94) among the study participants. Conclusion Our findings support previous works on the reduced quality of life among lymphatic filariasis patients with pathology. In this study, our results reveal a depressing financial condition among people presenting with late stages of LF pathologies, which eventually reduces their well-being.

The T cell immune responses in filarial infections are primarily mediated by CD4 + T cells and type 2-associated cytokines. Emerging evidence indicates that CD8 + T cell responses are important for anti-filarial immunity, however, could be suppressed in co-infections. This review summarizes what we know so far about the activities of CD8 + T cell responses in filarial infections, co-infections, and the associations with the development of filarial pathologies.

Despite worldwide mass drug administration, it is estimated that 68 million individuals are still infected with lymphatic filariasis with 19 million hydrocele and 17 million lymphedema reported cases. Despite the staggering number of pathology cases, the majority of LF-infected individuals do not develop clinical symptoms and present a tightly regulated immune system characterized by higher frequencies of regulatory T cells (Treg), suppressed proliferation and Th2 cytokine responses accompanied with increased secretion of IL-10, TGF-β and infection-specific IgG4. Nevertheless, the filarial-induced modulation of the host`s immune system and especially the role of regulatory immune cells like regulatory B (Breg) and Treg during an ongoing LF infection remains unknown. Thus, we analysed Breg and Treg frequencies in peripheral blood from Ghanaian uninfected endemic normals (EN), lymphedema (LE), asymptomatic patent (CFA+MF+) and latent (CFA+MF-) W. bancrofti-infected individuals as well as individuals who were previously infected with W. bancrofti (PI) but had cleared the infection due to the administration of ivermectin (IVM) and albendazole (ALB). In summary, we observed that IL-10-producing CD19+CD24highCD38dhigh Breg were specifically increased in patently infected (CFA+MF+) individuals. In addition, CD19+CD24highCD5+CD1dhigh and CD19+CD5+CD1dhighIL-10+ Breg as well as CD4+CD127-FOXP3+ Treg frequencies were significantly increased in both W. bancrofti-infected cohorts (CFA+MF+ and CFA+MF-). Interestingly, the PI cohort presented frequency levels of all studied regulatory immune cell populations comparable with the EN group. In conclusion, the results from this study show that an ongoing W. bancrofti infection induces distinct Breg and Treg populations in peripheral blood from Ghanaian volunteers. Those regulatory immune cell populations might contribute to the regulated state of the host immune system and are probably important for the survival and fertility (microfilaria release) of the helminth.

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) remains a significant public health challenge, particularly in endemic regions where secondary bacterial infections exacerbate the morbidity associated with chronic lymphedema. Among these infections, Pseudomonas aeruginosa stands out due to its biofilm-forming ability and resistance to conventional antibiotics. This study underscores the importance of targeting P. aeruginosa in LF patients, as biofilm-associated infections are prevalent in chronic wounds, complicating treatment and increasing healthcare burdens. Leveraging molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations, we screened 100 fungal polyketides against LasR and PqsR, quorum-sensing proteins critical to P. aeruginosa biofilm formation. Ketidocillinone B (Ket B) and Ketidocillinone C (Ket C) emerged as promising candidates with notable binding affinities of −9.3 kcal/mol and −9.5 kcal/mol to LasR, and −7.9 kcal/mol and −8.8 kcal/mol to PqsR, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed sustained stability of both compounds within the active sites, with binding energies of −82.559 kJ/mol (Ket B) and −68.680 kJ/mol (Ket C) for LasR, and −86.855 kJ/mol (Ket B) and −90.342 kJ/mol (Ket C) for PqsR. Pharmacokinetic evaluations indicated high gastrointestinal absorption, solubility, and favorable metabolic profiles, with Ket B exhibiting a clearance rate of 16.306 mL/min/kg and Ket C 14.881 mL/min/kg. These findings highlight the potential of Ket B and Ket C as therapeutic agents against P. aeruginosa infections in LF patients, through computational investigation. Future experimental validation could help by offering a novel approach to mitigate complications associated with this neglected tropical disease using KetB and Ket C as starting scaffold.

The use of motor tricycles in transporting municipal solid waste (MSW) within urban and peri-urban towns in Ghana is on the increase. This activity often leads to the introduction of pathogen-containing bioaerosols into the environment, as well as to the tricycle operators. We sought to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors of respiratory pathogens among solid waste tricycle operators. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 155 solid waste transporters who use motor tricycles using semi-structured interviews. Nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained from participants and screened for respiratory pathogens using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Pathogens detected in participants were SARS-CoV-2 (n = 10, 6.5%) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (n = 10, 6.5%), constituting an overall prevalence of 12.9% and co-infection rate of 1.3%. The most common self-reported symptoms were cough (n = 67, 43.2%), sore throat (n = 44, 28.4%) and difficulty in breathing (n = 22, 14.2%). Adherence to the use of gloves (n = 117, 75.5%) and nose mask (n = 110, 71.0%) was high. There was a significant association between the detection of respiratory pathogens and the use of gloves, use of more than one PPE and exposure to other pollutants (p < 0.05). Individuals who were exposed to \"other pollutants\" significantly had lower odds of becoming infected with respiratory pathogens (Adj. OR (95% CI): 0.119(0.015,0.938). Although prevalence of respiratory pathogens is generally low, strict adherence to PPE use could further reduce its rates to even lower levels. Governmental health institutions and informal solid waste transporters should address challenges related to exposure to pollutants, use of gloves, and multiple PPE.