Linda Batsa Debrah

Clinical Microbiology

About

Dr. (Mrs.) Linda Batsa Debrah is a lecturer in Medical Parasitology at the Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, KNUST Kumasi. She obtained her BSc. (Hons) degree in Biological Science in 2001 and M’Phil in Clinical Microbiology in 2006. In 2008, She got a sponsorship from German Research Foundation (DFG) to do her PhD at the Laboratory of Prof. Achim Hoerauf at the Institute of Immunology Microbiology and Parasitology in Bonn University in Germany and KNUST. She has risen through the ranks through the position of assistant researcher, researcher and now a research fellow. She has been the coordinator of filariasis projects at KCCR since 2011 and currently the Co-Principal investigator of a multi-country project (TAKeOFF) sponsored by the German Federal ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). She works on Neglected Tropical Diseases with Filariasis as her area of interest. Finding a cure for filariasis and elucidating the genetic basis of Lymphatic filariasis is one of the cornerstones of her research work. In addition, she conducts research on other Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) such as Buruli Ulcer disease and Intestinal helminths as well as Tuberculosis trying to find the effect of coinfection of these diseases on filariasis. She has a number of ongoing research activities sponsored by German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), German Research Foundation (DFG) among others. She has over 30 publications to her credit

Research Summary

(inferred from publications by AI)

parasitic diseases such as onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, mobius bugs, toxoplasma gondii, and mycobacterium are studied across various domains in health sciences. research focuses on understanding the biological, immunological, and therapeutic aspects of these diseases, with a strong emphasis on parasitic microbiology, host-pathway interactions, and immunodynamic factors. lymphatic filariasis is closely linked to microfilarial loads and immune responses, as evidenced by studies showing reduced lymphatic Filariasis Immune profiles in Wolbachia endobacteria-treated individuals. These findings highlight the importance of antifilarial treatments in reducing macrofilaricidal activity and improving disease management. Additionally, research explores the role of onchocerciasis-specific microRNAs in diagnosing infections and monitoring treatment response, emphasizing their potential as non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers. these studies also investigate the impact of parasitic microcomponents on immunosuppressant therapy, particularly in lymphatic filariasis management. the interplay between parasitic immune responses (such as Th1 and Th17 cytokines) and disease progression is explored through clinical trials and genetic studies, providing insights into effective vaccination strategies for various parasitic diseases. meanwhile, research highlights the integration of bioinformatics and clinical trials in advancing immunopathological understanding, particularly focusing on how microfilaria contribute to disease transmission and treatment efficacy. these findings underscore the need for continuous efforts in developing data-driven surveillance systems for parasitic infections. finally, studies emphasize the importance of vector-borne animal diseases in shaping public health strategies, with a focus on mobile health tools for community-based infectious disease surveillance. research also explores immunology and inflammation mechanisms, particularly as they influence TB treatment response and immune modulator pathways.

Research Themes

All (91 Papers)

Health Sciences (73 Papers)

Physical Sciences (3 Papers)

Life Sciences (15 Papers)

All Papers

Wolbachia endobacteria depletion by doxycycline as antifilarial therapy has macrofilaricidal activity in onchocerciasis: a randomized placebo-controlled study(2007)

Doxycycline Improves Filarial Lymphedema Independent of Active Filarial Infection: A Randomized Controlled Trial(2012)

Macrofilaricidal effect of 4 weeks of treatment with doxycycline on Wuchereria bancrofti(2007)

Efficacy of 5-week doxycycline treatment on adult Onchocerca volvulus(2008)

Doxycycline Leads to Sterility and Enhanced Killing of FemaleOnchocerca volvulusWorms in an Area With Persistent Microfilaridermia After Repeated Ivermectin Treatment: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Trial(2015)

Hyperreactive Onchocerciasis is Characterized by a Combination of Th17-Th2 Immune Responses and Reduced Regulatory T Cells(2015)

Plasma Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A (VEGF-A) and VEGF-A Gene Polymorphism are Associated with Hydrocele Development in Lymphatic Filariasis(2007)

Developing a community-led SMS reporting tool for the rapid assessment of lymphatic filariasis morbidity burden: case studies from Malawi and Ghana(2015)

Reduction in Levels of Plasma Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A and Improvement in Hydrocele Patients by Targeting Endosymbiotic Wolbachia sp. in Wuchereria bancrofti with Doxycycline(2009)

Elevated Adaptive Immune Responses Are Associated with Latent Infections of Wuchereria bancrofti(2012)

Comparison of Doxycycline, Minocycline, Doxycycline plus Albendazole and Albendazole Alone in Their Efficacy against Onchocerciasis in a Randomized, Open-Label, Pilot Trial(2017)

The Efficacy of Doxycycline Treatment on Mansonella perstans Infection: An Open-Label, Randomized Trial in Ghana(2019)

Wuchereria bancrofti-infected individuals harbor distinct IL-10-producing regulatory B and T cell subsets which are affected by anti-filarial treatment(2019)

Epidemiology of Mansonella perstans in the middle belt of Ghana(2017)

An isothermal DNA amplification method for detection of Onchocerca volvulus infection in skin biopsies(2016)

Immunoepidemiological Profiling of Onchocerciasis Patients Reveals Associations with Microfilaria Loads and Ivermectin Intake on Both Individual and Community Levels(2014)

Pathological manifestations in lymphatic filariasis correlate with lack of inhibitory properties of IgG4 antibodies on IgE-activated granulocytes(2017)

Comparison of Repeated Doses of Ivermectin Versus Ivermectin Plus Albendazole for the Treatment of Onchocerciasis: A Randomized, Open-label, Clinical Trial(2019)

Occurrence of Lymphatic Filariasis infection after 15 years of mass drug administration in two hotspot districts in the Upper East Region of Ghana(2022)

Macrofilaricidal Activity inWuchereria bancroftiafter 2 Weeks Treatment with a Combination of Rifampicin plus Doxycycline(2011)

Frequent detection of worm movements in onchocercal nodules by ultrasonography(2005)

Reliable and frequent detection of adult Wuchereria bancrofti in Ghanaian women by ultrasonography(2004)

The design and development of a multicentric protocol to investigate the impact of adjunctive doxycycline on the management of peripheral lymphoedema caused by lymphatic filariasis and podoconiosis(2020)

Evaluation of the diagnostic potential of urinary N-Acetyltyramine-O,β-glucuronide (NATOG) as diagnostic biomarker for Onchocerca volvulus infection(2016)

Transforming growth factor–β1 variant Leu10Pro is associated with both lack of microfilariae and differential microfilarial loads in the blood of persons infected with lymphatic filariasis(2011)

Situational analysis of lymphatic filariasis morbidity in Ahanta West District of Ghana(2015)

Evaluation of the Diagnostic Performance of Onchocerca volvulus Linear Epitopes in a Peptide Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay(2018)

Distinct Immune Profiles of Exhausted Effector and Memory CD8+ T Cells in Individuals With Filarial Lymphedema(2021)

Filarial Lymphedema Patients Are Characterized by Exhausted CD4+ T Cells(2022)

Efficacy of Intensified Hygiene Measures with or without the Addition of Doxycycline in the Management of Filarial Lymphedema: A Randomized Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial in Tanzania(2024)

Adherence to Hygiene Protocols and Doxycycline Therapy in Ameliorating Lymphatic Filariasis Morbidity in an Endemic Area Post-Interruption of Disease Transmission in Ghana(2024)

Wolbachia endobacteria depletion by doxycycline as antifilarial therapy has macrofilaricidal activity in onchocerciasis: a randomized placebo-controlled study(2008)

The role of ultrasonography in the differentiation of the various types of filaricele due to bancroftian filariasis(2010)

Reductions in microfilaridermia by repeated ivermectin treatment are associated with lower Plasmodium-specific Th17 immune responses in Onchocerca volvulus-infected individuals(2015)

Multimodal biomarker discovery for active Onchocerca volvulus infection(2021)

Filariasis research – from basic research to drug development and novel diagnostics, over a decade of research at the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Bonn, Germany(2023)

First genome-wide association study for lymphatic filariasis in a West African population points to a human leukocyte antigen-mediated disease pathophysiology(2023)

Stage-Dependent Increase of Systemic Immune Activation and CCR5+CD4+ T Cells in Filarial Driven Lymphedema in Ghana and Tanzania(2023)

Vector-borne helminthiases: a road map for current and future research to support control and elimination in sub-Saharan Africa(2025)

Efficacy of 5-week doxycycline treatment on adult Onchocerca volvulus. Parasitol Res(2008)

A qPCR to quantify Wolbachia from few Onchocerca volvulus microfilariae as a surrogate for adult worm histology in clinical trials of antiwolbachial drugs(2022)

Doxycycline Treatment of Mansonella perstans–Infected Individuals Affects Immune Cell Activation and Causes Long-term T-cell Polarization(2022)

Changes in circulating filarial antigen status in previously positive individuals: Lessons for treatment monitoring and pre-transmission assessment surveys(2025)

Robust COVID-19 Vaccine Responses Despite Filarial Co-Infection: Insights from a Lymphatic Filariasis Cohort in Ghana(2025)

Histopathological evaluation of Onchocerca volvulus nodules by microscopy and by digital image analysis for the study of macrofilaricidal drug efficacy(2023)

Association of haemato-biochemical indices and blood composite ratios with microfilaridermia in Onchocerciasis patients(2024)

Lack of dermal residing MF does not alter filarial-specific antibody profiles.(2015)

Additional file 1: of Evaluation of the diagnostic potential of urinary N-Acetyltyramine-O,Î˛-glucuronide (NATOG) as diagnostic biomarker for Onchocerca volvulus infection(2016)

Occurrence of Onchocerciasis infection after decades of mass drug administration in the Western North Region of Ghana: The case of Sefwi Akontombra district(2022)

Whole blood transcriptome analysis in onchocerciasis(2022)

Occurrence of Onchocerciasis infection after decades of mass drug administration in the Western North Region of Ghana: The case of Sefwi Akontombra district(2022)

PA-737 Genome-wide association study in Ghanaian lymphatic filariasis-affected individuals(2023)

Analysis of acute adenolymphangitis attack causing bacteria in filarial lymphoedema patients(2024)

Robust COVID-19 Vaccine Responses Despite Filarial Co-Infection: Insights from a Lymphatic Filariasis Cohort in Ghana(2025)

Lymphatic Filariasis and Loiasis(2025)

Humoral immune response to COVID-19 vaccines in onchocerciasis-infected individuals: a field study from Ghana(2025)

Doxycycline Reduces Plasma VEGF-C/sVEGFR-3 and Improves Pathology in Lymphatic Filariasis(2006)

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the angiogenic and lymphangiogenic pathways are associated with lymphedema caused by Wuchereria bancrofti(2017)

Plasma-derived parasitic microRNAs have insufficient concentrations to be used as diagnostic biomarker for detection of Onchocerca volvulus infection or treatment monitoring using LNA-based RT-qPCR(2017)

Plasma cytokine levels characterize disease pathogenesis and treatment response in tuberculosis patients(2022)

Impaired T-cell response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) in tuberculosis patients is associated with high IL-6 plasma levels and normalizes early during anti-mycobacterial treatment(2023)

Lower IL-7 Receptor Expression of Monocytes Impairs Antimycobacterial Effector Functions in Patients with Tuberculosis(2021)

Diminished Interleukin-7 receptor expression on T-cell subsets in tuberculosis patients(2023)

Monocyte pathology in human tuberculosis is due to plasma milieu changes and aberrant <scp>STAT</scp> signalling(2023)

Differences in PPD- and mitogen-induced T-cell activation marker expression characterize immunopathology in acute tuberculosis patients(2024)

Monocyte transcriptome signatures of inflammation and enhanced neutrophil recruitment characterize immunopathology in the blood of tuberculosis patients(2024)

Author response for "Cytokine‐induced transient monocyte IL‐7Ra expression and the serum milieu in tuberculosis"(2022)

Concomitant parasite infections influence tuberculosis immunopathology and favor rapid sputum conversion of pulmonary tuberculosis patients(2024)

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors of Toxoplasma gondii Infection among Pregnant Women in Kumasi: A Cross-Sectional Study at a District-Level Hospital, Ghana(2021)

Seroprevalence and the associated risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection among pregnant women in the middle belt of Ghana(2019)

AccessSeroprevalence and the Associated Risk Factorsof Toxoplasma GondiiInfection among PregnantWomenin The Middle Belt of Ghana(2023)

Analysis of Mycobacterium ulcerans-specific T-cell cytokines for diagnosis of Buruli ulcer disease and as potential indicator for disease progression(2017)

Lower Monocyte Interleukin-7 Receptor Expression Impairs Anti-Mycobacterial Effector Functions in Tuberculosis Patients(2020)

T-Cell Responses Against Mycobacterium ulcerans and Mycobacterium tuberculosis Protein Extracts Identify Children With Buruli Ulcer Disease(2022)

Morbidity management and surveillance of lymphatic filariasis disease and acute dermatolymphangioadenitis attacks using a mobile phone-based tool by community health volunteers in Ghana(2020)

Mhealth tools for community-based infectious disease surveillance in Africa: a scoping review(2023)

Reduced Type 2 Innate Lymphocyte Cell Frequencies in Patent Wuchereria bancrofti-Infected Individuals(2023)

Linear epitopes in Onchocerca volvulus vaccine candidate proteins and excretory‐secretory proteins(2018)

Performance evaluation of 3 serodiagnostic peptide epitopes and the derived multi-epitope peptide OvNMP-48 for detection of Onchocerca volvulus infection(2019)

Helminth Coinfections Modulate Disease Dynamics and Vaccination Success in the Era of Emerging Infectious Diseases(2025)

Helminth Seropositivity Inversely Correlated with Th1 and Th17 Cytokines and Severe COVID-19(2024)

Helminth Seropositivity Inversely Correlated with Th1 and Th17 Cytokines and Severe COVID-19(2025)

Estimating the number of breeders from helminth larvae with genomic data(2023)

Preliminary investigation into xenomonitoring as a tool for monitoring and evaluation of schistosomiasis community-wide mass drug administration campaign: prospects and limitations(2024)

Evidence of high genetic diversity among parasite populations in a schistosomiasis hotspot(2025)

Diversity of Culicoides in the middle belt of Ghana with Implications on the transmission of Mansonella perstans; a molecular approach(2024)

Cytokine‐induced transient monocyte IL‐7Ra expression and the serum milieu in tuberculosis(2022)

BCG-Vaccinated Children with Contact to Tuberculosis Patients Show Delayed Conversion of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Specific IFN-γ Release(2023)

Mhealth tools for community-based infectious disease surveillance in Africa: a scoping review protocol(2023)

Experiences of health research data sharing among researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa: a cross-sectional study (Preprint)(2024)

Experiences of Health Research Data Sharing Among Researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa: Cross-Sectional Study(2025)

Collaboration Network

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Research Collaboration Map

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About This Profile

This profile is generated from publicly available publication metadata and is intended for research discovery purposes. Themes, summaries, and trajectories are inferred computationally and may not capture the full scope of the lecturer's work. For authoritative information, please refer to the official KNUST profile.