Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Variants Imported Through Land Borders at the Height of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ghana, 2022.

Autor:	Asante IA; Department of Virology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, GHA., Lwanga CN; Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, GHA., Takyi C; Department of Virology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, GHA., Sekyi-Yorke AN; Department of Virology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, GHA., Quarcoo JA; Department of Virology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, GHA., Odikro MA; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, GHA., Kploanyi EE; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, GHA., Donkor IO; Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, GHA., Addo-Lartey A; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, GHA., Duah NA; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, GHA., Odumang DA; Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, GHA., Lomotey ES; Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, GHA., Boatemaa L; Department of Virology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, GHA., Kwasah L; Department of Virology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, GHA., Nyarko SO; Department of Virology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, GHA., Affram Y; Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA., Asiedu-Bekoe F; Public Health Division, Ghana Health Service, Accra, GHA., Kenu E; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, GHA.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Cureus [Cureus] 2024 Aug 30; Vol. 16 (8), pp. e68220. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Aug 30 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI:	10.7759/cureus.68220
Abstrakt:	Background The World Health Organization recommends surveillance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) at points of entry to systematically collect and analyze data to inform decisions about the effective and appropriate use of resources needed for interventions. This study sought to determine the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants imported into Ghana by travelers entering the country via land borders from February to July 2022. Methods A cross-sectional approach was employed, where recruited participants consented to the collection of oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal samples. Specimens were analyzed for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA) using a commercially available VeriQ nCoV-OM COVID-19 Multiplex Detection kit. Amplicon sequencing protocols (ARTIC network, Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT), New England Biolabs, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK), Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network (CanCOGen), and ONT MinION) were used for SARS-CoV-2 sequencing. Logistic regression and phylogenetic analyses were conducted on the generated data. Results We detected a SARS-CoV-2 prevalence of 3.6% (170/4,621) among a total of 4,621 travelers screened. The average age of travelers was 32.11 ± 11.77, with the majority being male (68%, 3,132/4,621). After adjusting for educational status, household size, vaccination status, and study site, those with primary and tertiary education levels had 1.74 (95% CI: 1.16-2.62, P = 0.007) and 2.27 (95% CI: 1.27-4.05, P = 0.006) higher odds of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 compared to those with no education. Vaccinated travelers had 0.65 odds (95% CI: 0.48-0.89, P = 0.007) of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. The Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) emerged as the predominant lineage, constituting 77% (27/35) of isolates, compared to Alpha, Delta, and Recombinant variants. Phylogenetic analysis corroborated this finding, highlighting Delta and Omicron as the dominant circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants. Notably, Ghanaian strains from this study clustered with global variants, suggesting multiple introductions, likely through land borders. Conclusion A low prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was recorded in this study, prompting the decision to reopen land borders and ease pandemic-related travel restrictions. Omicron was identified as the dominant variant. These findings emphasize the crucial role of routine surveillance at port health and advocate for a collaborative approach to addressing public health crises, preventing unnecessary travel and trade restrictions through data-based decision-making. Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Ghana Health Service Ethical Review Committee issued approval GHS-ERC:017/01/22. Approval for the study was obtained from the Ghana Health Service Ethics Review Committee (GHS-ERC:017/01/22) and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research Institutional Review Board (NMIMR-IRB CPN 017/21-22). The participants provided written informed consent before participating in the study. The data collected was devoid of personal identifiers. Swabs collected from travelers were used only for research purposes. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: This research was funded by the Ghana Health Service through the C19RM Wave 1 funding from the Global Fund. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work. (Copyright © 2024, Asante et al.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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