Dr. Jonas Bedford Danquah
Research Scientist
Office : CSIR ARI Room 31
Email : jonydan4@gmail.com
Degrees : M.Phil, PhD (University of Ghana)
Achievements
Awards and Recognition
2021 – Date: Research Scientist
2021 – Date: Reviewer for Journals & Course Curriculum
2020 - 2020: World One Health Congress Fellowship
2018 - 2020: Head of Department
2018 - 2019: Pan-African Doctoral Academy Fellowship
2013 – 2021: Lecturer and Academic Supervisor
Active Affiliations
Ghana Biomedical Convention
Ghana Science Association
Research
Research Interests
One health, molecular epidemiology, and public health
Identification of biomarkers as surrogates of infectious diseases, including zoonotic and neglected tropical diseases, among others.
Development and evaluation of diagnostic tools, vaccines, and therapeutics
Host-pathogen interactions.
Current Research
Human and animal environmental overlaps keep increasing each day, ranging from livestock rearing close to homes, keeping of companion animals in households, erratic alterations in climatic conditions and finally, destruction and human encroachments into other previously non-human ecosystems which brings most animals close to human dwellings. These overlaps are complex and dynamic, fostering interactions that have far-reaching implications on animal, human and environmental health, including the influence of pathogen or vector evolution and persistence to the complex attendants related to infectious disease emergence, dissemination, persistence, and transmissions within the environment. Such infectious diseases may be rare or unknown, zoonotic, neglected tropical disease, emerging, or re-emerging disease which has the potential to spread within intra-species and inter-species with concomitant implications for future and the global sustainable development goal targets such as zero poverty, zero hunger, good health and quality education among others.
My research focus is to identify and evaluate the usefulness of biomarkers which will have accurate diagnostic, predictive and prognostic potential for surveillance, improvement, and monitoring of clinical outcomes of these diseases among animals and humans to enhance early treatments, effectively distinguishing diseases of different etiologies but similar symptoms and judicious use of therapeutics for animal and human health. Biomarkers are also signatures of complex metabolic pathways and so their role in these disease pathogeneses within human and animal hosts will be studied to understand their usefulness in therapeutics and vaccine developments.
Furthermore, I also want to understand host-pathogen interactions and the distribution patterns of the diseases across the different identified population groups and understand their environmental occurrence. This will help develop and evaluate robust interventions and effective preventive strategies to inform policy actions and deal with these diseases for animal and human health promotion, management, and disease prevention.
Publications
Refereed Journal Papers
D. D. Owusu-Ntumy, N. Owiredu, D. Y. Osei, B. B. Borteih, S. Afedzie-Obresi, J. Beyuo & A. Keleve (2024) Survey and prevalence of Eimeria spp. in meat rabbits in selected districts of the Greater Accra region of Ghana, Cogent Food & Agriculture, 10:1, 2335729, https://doi.org/10.1080/23311932.2024.2335729
Matilda Ayim-Akonor, Doreen Dela Owusu-Ntumy, Hilda Emefa Ohene-Asa, Agyekum Oduro-Abrokwa, Patricia Hammond, Michael Appenteng, and Daniel Annan. 2018. Serological and molecular surveillance of Infectious Bronchitis Virus infection in free-range chickens and guinea fowls in the Ga-East District of Ghana. Journal of Veterinary Medicine, Volume 2018, Article ID 4949580, 6 pages. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/4949580
M. Ayim-Akonor, F.Y. Obese, C. Arthur, D.D. Owusu-Ntumy and H.R. Otsyina. 2014. Molecular detection and differentiation of Peste des Petits Ruminant virus and Rinderpest virus in sheep and goats with PPR-like symptoms in Dangme West District of Ghana. International Journal of Current Research and Academic Review, 2(6):197-205.
Obese, F.Y., Damptey, J.K., Aboagye, G.S., Ayizanga, R.A. and Owusu-Ntumy, D. 2012. Relationships between body condition score, milk yield, insulinlike growth factor-I concentration and resumption of ovarian activity in beef cows. Bulletin of Animal Health and Production in Africa, 60:445-452.
M. Ayim, A. Asafu-Adjaye, C. Beckley, G. Adu-Aboagye, D.D. Owusu-Ntumy, K. Baryeh, C. Arthur and K. Ogbetey. 2012. Serological survey of Mycoplasma gallisepticum infection in layer chickens in the Ga-east District of the greater Accra region. Journal of the Ghana Science Association, 14(1):22-29.
