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The aim of this study was to investigate S. aureus carriage among children with sickle cell disease (SCD), including the prevalence, risk factors, and antibiotic resistance. The study was cross-sectional, and involved 120 children with SCD recruited at the Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital (PML) in Accra and 100 apparently healthy children from environs of the hospital. Nasal swab samples were collected from the study participants and cultured for bacteria. Confirmation of S. aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates were done using the tube coagulase test and mecA polymerase chain reaction, respectively. All the S. aureus isolates were tested against standard antimicrobial agents using the Kirby-Bauer method. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain the socio-demographic and clinical data of the study participants. Binary logistic regression was used to identify determinants of S. aureus and MRSA carriage among the study participants. The nasal carriage prevalence of S. aureus was 33.3% (n = 40) and 10% (n = 10) among the participants of the SCD and control groups, respectively. As regards MRSA nasal carriage prevalence, the respective values were 3.33% (n = 4) and 0.00% (n = 0). SCD was significantly associated with S. aureus colonization (p < 0.0001, OR = 4.045), but not MRSA colonization (p = 0.128). In the SCD group, the significant predictors of S. aureus carriage were increasing age (p = 0.003; OR = 1.275) and living in self-contained apartments (p = 0.033; OR = 3.632), whereas male gender (p = 0.018; OR = 0.344) and the practice of self-medication (p = 0.039; OR = 0.233) were protective of S. aureus carriage. In the control group, a history of hospitalization in the past year was a risk factor for the carriage of S. aureus (p = 0.048; OR = 14.333). Among the participants of the SCD and control groups, respectively, the resistance prevalence recorded by S. aureus against the various antibiotics investigated were penicillin (100% each), cotrimoxazole (27.5% vs. 20%), tetracycline (25% vs. 50%), rifampicin (82.5% vs. 50%), erythromycin (30% vs. 20%), clindamycin (32.5% vs. 50%), gentamicin (7.5% vs. 20%), cefoxitin (27.5% vs. 20%), linezolid (30% vs. 40%), and fusidic acid (95% vs. 80%). The proportion of S. aureus isolates that were multidrug resistant (MDR) was 92.5% (37/40) in the SCD group and 100% (10/10) in the control group.

Fungal infections are increasingly becoming common and yet often neglected in developing countries. Information on the burden of these infections is important for improved patient outcomes. The burden of serious fungal infections in Ghana is unknown. We aimed to estimate this burden. Using local, regional, or global data and estimates of population and at-risk groups, deterministic modelling was employed to estimate national incidence or prevalence. Our study revealed that about 4% of Ghanaians suffer from serious fungal infections yearly, with over 35,000 affected by life-threatening invasive fungal infections. Incidence of cryptococcal meningitis, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, and disseminated histoplasmosis cases in AIDS was estimated at 6275, 12,610 and 724, respectively. Oral and esophageal candidiasis collectively affect 27,100 Ghanaians and 42,653 adult asthmatics are estimated to have fungal asthma. We estimate a prevalence of 12,620 cases of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA and an incidence of 1254 cases of invasive aspergillosis (IA). Estimated cases of candidemia and candida peritonitis cases were 1446 and 217, respectively. The estimated prevalence of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) and tinea capitis was 442,621 and 598,840, respectively. Mucormycosis and fungal keratitis each may affect 58 and 810 Ghanaians. These data highlight the urgent need for intensified awareness to improve diagnosis and management.

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Many developing countries, including Ghana, are water stressed. As such, farmers, particularly those in urban areas, have adopted the use of wastewater for irrigation. This study evaluated the bacteriological water quality of the wastewater used for irrigation in the vegetable farms at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Accra Metropolis, Ghana. In all, 40 wastewater samples were collected and analysed bacteriologically using the total aerobic plate count method. The isolated bacteria were identified biochemically using Bergey's manual for determinative bacteriology. Mean total bacterial colony count values in the range of 2.75-4.44 × 10 CFU/100 mL were isolated which far exceeds values of 1 × 10/100 mL recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for unrestricted irrigation of crops likely to be eaten raw. Enterobacter cloacae (51.4%), Klebsiella sp. (24.1%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (11.3%), Salmonella typhi (10.6%), Escherichia coli (2.2%) and Proteus sp. (0.4%) were the predominant bacteria isolated. Growers should use treated wastewater for farming while processors and consumers should minimize contamination risks of produce from the vegetable farms/garden to the plate.

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a common infection among women of childbearing age, and few of these women experience recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC). The study was aimed at determining the virulent factors, and antifungal susceptibility of the Candida species isolated from women with RVVC attending the Nkawie Government Hospital, Ashanti-Region, Ghana. Over a 6–month period (October 2016 to March 2017), a total of 288 women with RVVC were evaluated. Isolation of the yeast was performed after the inoculation of the vaginal specimens onto Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA), and incubated for 24-48 hours at 37oC. The isolates were identified by standardized conventional methods. The enzymatic activities of esterase, phospholipase, haemolysis and biofilm production were evaluated for the identification of the yeast isolates. Susceptibility to antifungal agents was determined by using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Azole resistant isolates were further tested for ERG11 gene which encodes the enzyme (cytochrome P450 lanosterol 14-α-demethylase) by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. Vaginal swabs cultures of 200 women (64.4) from 288 samples yielded Candida species. Candida albicans was the commonest isolated specie (33.0%), followed by Candida glabrata (29.5 %), Candida tropicalis (23.0%), and Candida krusei (15.5%). Hemolysin production, phospholipase enzyme activity, and biofilms formation were found in 84.5%, 83%, 77.5%.of the isolates respectively. Most phospholipase producing Candida isolates also formed biofilms. All Candida spp isolated were susceptible to itraconazole while majority of them were resistant to voriconazole. ERG11 genes were detected in 11.1% of Azole resistant Candida species. There is a significant increase in the rate of antifungal resistance among the Candida isolates to fluconazole and voriconazole. There is need for continuous surveillance as well as antifungal susceptibility testing on the Candida spp to guide therapy. A larger epidemiological study is also advocated to determining the degree of spread of ERG11 genes.

IntroductionSpices have, for centuries, been used in food preparation as flavouring agents, preservatives and colourant (Scully, 1995); their use have sometimes been linked to medicine, religion, tradition and even magic.They are normally obtained as dried seeds, fruits, roots or bark. The use of spices and its trade dates back to pre-historic times. Countries in Asia, particularly India and China are well noted for their regular use of

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