Main Objective:

To determine the infectious etiologies and their frequencies among adult patients with acute fever or other severe acute illness with a suspected infectious source presenting to study hospitals in West Africa.

Specific Objectives:

Secondary Objectives:

• To characterize and compare patterns of illness and convalescence across different laboratory-confirmed infectious diseases.

• To describe epidemiologic patterns of infection and associated exposures.

• To identify the clinical/entomological parameters, socio-demographic factors and exposures that are most predictive of severe acute infectious diseases and their outcomes, according to pathogen or pathogen class.

• To determine the performance parameters of current and novel detection, screening, confirmatory, prognostic and disease monitoring assays for infectious diseases.

• To determine HIV prevalence among presenting ill patients and characterize the impact of HIV as a comorbid condition.
•  

Main Objectives:

• Characterize the diversity of falciparum reservoir using malariometrics and molecular diagnostic methods

• Investigate immune selected markers, ADR Markers and Neutrally Evolving Markers (microsatellites)

• To extend longitudinal study in Bongo to monitor and evaluate malaria control programmes

• To combine theory with field and lab methodologies to generate new understandings of the reservoir of falciparum and its resilience to elimination

• Examine interactions between host genetic traits and how these influence susceptibility and affect immune responses to falciparum.

Specific Objectives:

• To monitor the impact of malaria control interventions on the reservoir of falciparum in the Bongo District

• To characterize the reservoir of falciparum using microscopy and sensitive molecular diagnostic methods

• To measure the diversity and selection of drug-resistance alleles and/or haplotypes in the falciparum reservoir.

• To measure diversity and population structure in the falciparum reservoir using both immune selectors and neutrally evolving genetic markers

• To characterize host genetic polymorphisms that may influence innate immunity and immune response to falciparum

To evaluate the role of human antibodies play in polymorphic blood stage antigens and variant surface antigens expressed by the malaria parasite on protective immunity from P. falciparum. 

• To determine the nasal carriage rate of Streptococcus pneumoniae among children between 3 months to 12 years old.

• To determine the nasal carriage rate of other nasal flora among children between 3 months to 12 years.

• To determine the antibiotic susceptibility profile of the isolated S. pneumoniae.

• To map the profile of antimicrobial resistant genes within the pneumococcal carriage reservoir.

• To characterize and determine the impact of PCV-13 vaccines on serotype distribution within the carriage reservoir.

• To assess the socio-demographical risk factors that may be associated with carriage.

Primary Objective:

The primary objective of this survey is to investigate the carriage prevalence of vaccine-type pneumococcal and meningococcal carriage by surveying the pattern of carriage among children 5-14 years old in Northern Ghana.

Secondary Objectives:

• Identify the risk factors for carriage of pneumococcal vaccine type carriage

• Identify the risk factors for meningococcal carriage

• Determine levels of antibodies against pneumococcal (vaccine and non-vaccine types) and NmA

• Characterize the molecular epidemiology of circulating pneumococci and meningococci using whole genome sequencing

• Investigate phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility and the correlations with genotypic determinants of resistance of the pneumococcus and meningococcus