Molecular Characterization and Clinical Description of Non-Polio Enteroviruses Detected in Stool Samples from HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Adults in Ghana.

Veronica Di Cristanziano,Veronica Di Cristanziano,Richard Odame Phillips,Richard Odame Phillips,Richard Odame Phillips,Maike Wirtz,Maike Wirtz,Albert Dompreh,Torsten Feldt,Torsten Feldt,Rolf Kaiser,Rolf Kaiser,Fred Stephen Sarfo,Sindy Böttcher,Elena Knops,Elena Knops,Eva Heger,Eva Heger,Lucio-Garcia Cesar,Kristina Weimer,Kirsten Alexandra Eberhardt,Kirsten Alexandra Eberhardt,Kirsten Alexandra Eberhardt,Betty Norman,Betty Norman,Fred Stephen Sarfo,Kristina Weimer

doi:10.3390/v12020221

Abstract

In the post-polio eradication era, increasing attention is given to non-polio enteroviruses. Most of the data about enteroviruses in sub-Saharan Africa are related to acute flaccid paralysis surveillance and target the pediatric population. This study aimed to investigate the presence of enterovirus in PLHIV (people living with HIV) and HIV-negative individuals in Ghana. Stool samples from HIV-positive individuals (n = 250) and healthy blood donors (n = 102) attending the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, Ghana, were screened by real-time PCR for enterovirus. Molecular typing of the VP1 region was performed. Enterovirus-positive samples were tested for norovirus, adenovirus, rotavirus, sapovirus, and cosaviruses. Twenty-six out of 250 HIV-positive subjects (10.4%) and 14 out of 102 HIV-negative individuals (13.7%) were detected enterovirus-positive, not showing a significant different infection rate between the two groups. HIV-negative individuals were infected with Enterovirus C strains only. HIV-positive participants were detected positive for species Enterovirus A, Enterovirus B, and Enterovirus C. Co-infections with other viral enteric pathogens were almost exclusively detected among HIV-positive participants. Overall, the present study provides the first data about enteroviruses within HIV-positive and HIV-negative adults living in Ghana.

Highlights

Enteroviruses belong to the family Picornaviridae and are non-enveloped single stranded RNA viruses
Data on enterovirus infections circulating in people living in sub-Saharan Africa are still limited and mostly addressing the pediatric population
Brouwer et al detected enteroviruses by real-time RT-PCR in 89.9% of fecal samples collected from a cohort of children ≤ 5 years of age in Malawi, not showing differences in enterovirus detection rates between children with and without severe anemia [43]

Summary

Introduction

Enteroviruses belong to the family Picornaviridae and are non-enveloped single stranded RNA viruses. More than 100 different serotypes have been identified to infect humans and grouped into 4 species (Enterovirus A- Enterovirus D) on the basis of their genetic divergence [1]. Enteroviruses are endemic worldwide and mainly transmitted via the fecal–oral route or by droplets and direct contacts [2]. The most known members of the genus Enterovirus are represented by the three poliovirus types (PV), assigned within the species Enterovirus C. Polioviruses are the etiologic agents of paralytic poliomyelitis, an infectious disease characterized by acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) and whose main target is children under 5 years of age [3]. The success of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)

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