Genomic Rna Electropherotypes Of Group Rotaviruses Detected In Children With Diarrhoea In Pramso, Ghana. (Published)
In childhood diarrhoea infections worldwide, rotaviruses have been identified as the major cause, leading to hospitalizations and about 20% of all associated diarrhoea death is related to rotaviruses. The rotavirion has a non-enveloped, isocohedrail complex; triple layered capsid structure that surrounds a genome consisting of 11 segments of double- stranded RNA which can be separated by Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (PAGE). In this study we determined the presence of group A rotavirus by ELISA, and the genomic RNA electrophoretic pattern of 84 children below 5 years visiting the St. Michael’s Hospital in Pramso, Ghana with symptoms of diarrhoea. Of the entire specimen examined 24 (28.6%) tested positive for group A rotavirus by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and subsequently subjected to PAGE to determine the electropherotypes. Rotavirus electropherotypes were characterized into long ‘L’ electropherotype (40.9%) and short ‘S’ electropherotype (59.1%). Detailed analysis of the two electropherotypes revealed four minor variants in both the long and short electropherotypes and were classified as LA, LB, LC, LD, SA, SB, SC and SD. The SD electropherotype was the most common electropherotype in circulation (27.3%). This study is the first to present information on electropherotypic distribution of rotavirus strains in Ghana.
Keywords: Diarrhoea, Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis, Rotavirus, Serotypes.
Evaluation Of Beniseed Extract and Fermented Liquor in Treatment of Diarrhoea in Albino Rats Infected with Salmonella Typhi (Published)
The efficacy of fermented beniseed liquor and the methanol extract in treating diarrhoea caused by Salmonella typhi in albino rats orogastrically infected with the bacteria was assessed. At the end of the experiment, haematological, biochemical and liver functioning tests were performed on the blood from the animals. The results obtained from this analysis showed that the selected organism have high infectivity dose, caused a significant reducing effect on the weight of the albino rats and negative effect on the hematological and biochemical parameters assessed. Treatment of infected animals with the fermented liquor and methanol extract of beniseeds showed that both caused a significantly quick recovery of the infected animals from diarrhoea within five days of treatment. However, the rate of recovery was faster with the group of infected rats treated with the fermented beniseed liquor than the extract. Also, treatment with methanol extract of beniseeds also caused a significant increase in the cholesterol level of the blood from the animals. The results obtained from these analyses showed that beniseed have therapeutic properties and that the fermented form is more effective and can be used to treat diarrhoea caused by the selected bacteria used in this study in albino rats.
Keywords: Albino-Rats, Beniseeds, Diarrhoea, Infection, Therapeutic