Entomological Assessment of the Status and Risk of Mosquito-borne Arboviral Transmission in Ghana
Michael Amoa-Bosompem,
Daisuke Kobayashi,
Katsunori Murota,
Astri Nur Faizah,
Kentaro Itokawa,
Ryosuke Fujita,
Joseph Harold Nyarko Osei,
Esinam Agbosu,
Deborah Pratt,
Shohei Kimura,
Kofi Dadzie Kwofie,
Mitsuko Ohashi,
Joseph H. Kofi Bonney,
Samuel Dadzie,
Toshinori Sasaki,
Nobuo Ohta,
Haruhiko Isawa,
Kyoko Sawabe,
Shiroh Iwanaga
Affiliations
Michael Amoa-Bosompem
Department of Environmental Parasitology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
Daisuke Kobayashi
Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Katsunori Murota
Kyushu Research Station, National Institute of Animal Health, NARO, 2702 Chuzan, Kagoshima 891-0105, Japan
Astri Nur Faizah
Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Kentaro Itokawa
Pathogen Genomics Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Ryosuke Fujita
Laboratory of Sanitary Entomology, Kyushu University Graduate School of Bioresource and Bioenvironmental Sciences, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Joseph Harold Nyarko Osei
Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, College of Health Sciences, P.O. box LG 581, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Esinam Agbosu
Department of Virology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, College of Health Sciences, P.O. box LG 581, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Deborah Pratt
Department of Virology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, College of Health Sciences, P.O. box LG 581, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Shohei Kimura
Department of Environmental Parasitology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
Kofi Dadzie Kwofie
Department of Environmental Parasitology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
Mitsuko Ohashi
Department of Environmental Parasitology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
Joseph H. Kofi Bonney
Department of Virology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, College of Health Sciences, P.O. box LG 581, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Samuel Dadzie
Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, College of Health Sciences, P.O. box LG 581, Legon, Accra, Ghana
Toshinori Sasaki
Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Nobuo Ohta
Faculty of Health Science, Suzuka University of Medical Science, 1001-1 Kishioka-cyo, Suzuka-shi, Mie 510-0293, Japan
Haruhiko Isawa
Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Kyoko Sawabe
Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
Shiroh Iwanaga
Department of Environmental Parasitology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
Entomological surveillance is one of the tools used in monitoring and controlling vector-borne diseases. However, the use of entomological surveillance for arboviral infection vector control is often dependent on finding infected individuals. Although this method may suffice in highly endemic areas, it is not as effective in controlling the spread of diseases in low endemic and non-endemic areas. In this study, we examined the efficiency of using entomological markers to assess the status and risk of arbovirus infection in Ghana, which is considered a non-endemic country, by combining mosquito surveillance with virus isolation and detection. This study reports the presence of cryptic species of mosquitoes in Ghana, demonstrating the need to combine morphological identification and molecular techniques in mosquito surveillance. Furthermore, although no medically important viruses were detected, the importance of insect-specific viruses in understanding virus evolution and arbovirus transmission is discussed. This study reports the first mutualistic relationship between dengue virus and the double-stranded RNA Aedes aegypti totivirus. Finally, this study discusses the complexity of the virome of Aedes and Culex mosquitoes and its implication for arbovirus transmission.
