Dorothy Yeboah-Manu

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Dorothy Yeboah-Manu
Alma mater London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute
Awards Royal Society Africa Prize 2018
Scientific career
Institutions University of Ghana
Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research

Dorothy Yeboah-Manu is a microbiologist and Professor at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research at the University of Ghana. She studies host and pathogen interactions and epidemiology. She won the 2018 Royal Society Africa Prize.

Contents

Early life and education

Yeboah-Manu is from Akyem Abuakwa. [1] She completed a master's degree in Applied Molecular Biology of Infectious Diseases at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. [2]

Research and career

Yeboah-Manu joined the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research as a Research Assistant in 1993. She studied the safety of street food in Ghana. [3] [4] They found mesophilic bacteria in 69.7% of foods, including the staple foods fufu and omo tuo. [5] Yeboah-Manu was the first to describe polymorphism in the mycobacterium ulcerans from an African country and provide evidence to restrict Mycobacterium africanum to West Africa. [6] [7] She completed a PhD in medical parasitology and infection biology at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in 2006. [2] [8]

She was awarded a five-year Wellcome Trust fellowship in 2012, allowing her to work on mycobacterium tuberculosis. [9] She investigated the genomic diversity and differing profiles of gene expression between mycobacterium africanum and mycobacterium tuberculosis. [10] She is concerned about the fast spread of tuberculosis in Ghana's urban areas. [11]

She is on the National Faculty of the World Bank Centre of Excellence funded West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens. [7] [12] [13] She is a member of the boards of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, the World Health Organization Global Network of Laboratories Confirming Mycobacterium ulcerans Infection and the National Buruli Ulcer Control Program. [7] She is chair of the advisory board of the National Tuberculosis Program. [7] She is Vice President of the Immunological Society of Ghana. [2]

She has contributed to two books: Towards Effective Disease Control in Ghana: Research and Policy Implications Volume 1, Malaria and Volume 2, Other Infectious Diseases and Health Systems. [14] [15] She won the 2018 Royal Society Africa Prize. [16]

Related Research Articles

<i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> Species of pathogenic bacteria that causes tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, also known as Koch's bacillus, is a species of pathogenic bacteria in the family Mycobacteriaceae and the causative agent of tuberculosis. First discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch, M. tuberculosis has an unusual, waxy coating on its cell surface primarily due to the presence of mycolic acid. This coating makes the cells impervious to Gram staining, and as a result, M. tuberculosis can appear weakly Gram-positive. Acid-fast stains such as Ziehl–Neelsen, or fluorescent stains such as auramine are used instead to identify M. tuberculosis with a microscope. The physiology of M. tuberculosis is highly aerobic and requires high levels of oxygen. Primarily a pathogen of the mammalian respiratory system, it infects the lungs. The most frequently used diagnostic methods for tuberculosis are the tuberculin skin test, acid-fast stain, culture, and polymerase chain reaction.

<i>Mycobacterium</i> Genus of bacteria

Mycobacterium is a genus of over 190 species in the phylum Actinomycetota, assigned its own family, Mycobacteriaceae. This genus includes pathogens known to cause serious diseases in mammals, including tuberculosis and leprosy in humans. The Greek prefix myco- means 'fungus', alluding to this genus' mold-like colony surfaces. Since this genus has cell walls with a waxy lipid-rich outer layer that contains high concentrations of mycolic acid, acid-fast staining is used to emphasize their resistance to acids, compared to other cell types.

<i>Mycobacterium bovis</i> Species of bacterium

Mycobacterium bovis is a slow-growing aerobic bacterium and the causative agent of tuberculosis in cattle. It is related to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium which causes tuberculosis in humans. M. bovis can jump the species barrier and cause tuberculosis-like infection in humans and other mammals.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), also known as environmental mycobacteria, atypical mycobacteria and mycobacteria other than tuberculosis (MOTT), are mycobacteria which do not cause tuberculosis or leprosy. NTM do cause pulmonary diseases that resemble tuberculosis. Mycobacteriosis is any of these illnesses, usually meant to exclude tuberculosis. They occur in many animals, including humans and are commonly found in soil and water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buruli ulcer</span> Infectious tropical disease

Buruli ulcer is an infectious disease characterized by the development of painless open wounds. The disease is limited to certain areas of the world, most cases occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa and Australia. The first sign of infection is a small painless nodule or area of swelling, typically on the arms or legs. The nodule grows larger over days to weeks, eventually forming an open ulcer. Deep ulcers can cause scarring of muscles and tendons, resulting in permanent disability.

Mycobacterium africanum is a species of Mycobacterium that is most commonly found in West African countries, where it is estimated to cause up to 40% of pulmonary tuberculosis. The symptoms of infection resemble those of M. tuberculosis.

The Royal Society Africa Prize has been awarded by the Royal Society since 2006 to African-based researchers at the start of their career who are making innovative contributions to the biological sciences in Africa. £60,000 is awarded as a grant for the recipient to carry out a research project that is linked to an African centre of scientific excellence, normally a University or equivalent research centre, and a further £5,000 is given directly to the prizewinner.

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex is a genetically related group of Mycobacterium species that can cause tuberculosis in humans or other animals.

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References

  1. ↑ Sill, Ulrike (2010). Encounters in Quest of Christian Womanhood: The Basel Mission in Pre- and Early Colonial Ghana. BRILL. ISBN   978-9004188884.
  2. 1 2 3 "FAIS Africa". www.faisafrica.com. Archived from the original on 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  3. ↑ "Dishing the dirt on street food safety in Accra, Ghana | Eldis". eldis.org. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  4. ↑ Mensah, Patience; Yeboah-Manu, Dorothy; Owusu-Darko, Kwaku; Ablordey, Anthony (2002). "Street foods in Accra, Ghana: how safe are they?". Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 80 (7): 546–554. ISSN   0042-9686. PMC   2567559 . PMID   12163918.
  5. ↑ Yeleliere, Enoch; Cobbina, Samuel Jerry; Abubakari, Zarouk Imoro (2017-10-23). "Review of microbial food contamination and food hygiene in selected capital cities of Ghana". Cogent Food & Agriculture. 3 (1). doi: 10.1080/23311932.2017.1395102 . ISSN   2331-1932.
  6. ↑ Yeboah-Manu, Dorothy; Röltgen, Katharina; Opare, William; Asan-Ampah, Kobina; Quenin-Fosu, Kwabena; Asante-Poku, Adwoa; Ampadu, Edwin; Fyfe, Janet; Koram, Kwadwo (2012-01-10). "Sero-Epidemiology as a Tool to Screen Populations for Exposure to Mycobacterium ulcerans". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 6 (1): e1460. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001460 . ISSN   1935-2735. PMC   3254650 . PMID   22253937.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Members". GUIDE Africa. 2017-03-15. Archived from the original on 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  8. ↑ "Search". Swiss TPH (in German). Archived from the original on 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  9. ↑ "ORID Research Report -printed". www.orid.ug.edu.gh. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  10. ↑ "Intermediate Fellowships in Public Health and Tropical Medicine: people we've funded | Wellcome". wellcome.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  11. ↑ "Study Reveals Tuberculosis On The Increase". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  12. ↑ "NATIONAL FACULTY – West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens". www.waccbip.org. Archived from the original on 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  13. ↑ "Cell Biology Hits the Big Time in West Africa - ASCB". ASCB. 2016-04-01. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  14. ↑ "African Books Collective: Dorothy Yeboah-Manu". www.africanbookscollective.com. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  15. ↑ "African Books Collective: Towards Effective Disease Control in Ghana: Research and Policy Implications". www.africanbookscollective.com. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  16. ↑ "Recipients of Royal Society medals and awards in 2018 announced | Royal Society". royalsociety.org. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
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