Antibiotic resistance and virulence genes in Campylobacter species from pig and cattle samples in Ibadan, Nigeria

Campylobacter species are the leading cause of gastroenteritis worldwide with incidence cases higher than those caused by Salmonella. This study was designed to determine the antibiotic resistance patterns and virulence genes detection in selected Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) strains of Campylobacter species isolated from pigs and cattle dungs. Stool samples were collected from pigs and cattle at the teaching and research farm of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Isolation and identification of Campylobacter species were made using modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar and standard biochemical tests. Antibiotic susceptibility test was carried out using the disk diffusion technique. The hipO and cadF virulence genes were detected using a multiplex-polymerase chain reaction. The occurrence of Campylobacter species in pigs and cattle was 90.0% and 95.0%, respectively. In pigs, C. coli had the highest occurrence, while it was C. jejuni in cattle. The antibiotic resistance patterns showed that 1.3% and 1.2% of the isolates from pigs and cattle, respectively were resistant to all the antibiotics tested. Among the selected MDR strains, cadF genes were detected in 76.5% (pigs) and 75.0% (cattle). However, hipO genes were detected in 11.8% (pigs) and 50.0% (cattle) isolates. The cadF gene was detected in all the Campylobacter species, while hipO gene was detected only in C. jejuni. In conclusion, the pigs and cattle faecal wastes harbored virulent and multidrug-resistant Campylobacter species. Hence, the indiscriminate discharge of untreated animal faecal wastes into the environment and water bodies should be discouraged. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1090957

Food safety management: preventive strategies and control of pathogenic microorganisms in food

Food security is a paramount concern worldwide, as the consumption of food contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms can result in serious risks to human health. The presence of bacteria, fungi, and other potentially harmful microorganisms in food is a reality that demands rigorous preventive and control measures to ensure the quality and safety of food products. In this context, this review addresses food safety management as a preventive and control measure for pathogenic microorganisms in food, aiming to safeguard public health and ensure product quality. The article discusses the importance of strict hygienic practices throughout the food chain, from production to consumption, and analyzes predominant pathogenic microorganisms that can cause foodborne illnesses. The study highlights the relevance of conventional and advanced techniques for microbiological identification as effective tools for accurate and rapid detection of microorganisms in food. Key elements such as temperature, pH, water activity, and additives are emphasized as crucial in inhibiting microbial proliferation. The implementation of quality management systems, notably the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system, and collaboration among various stakeholders are identified as essential to ensuring food safety. The importance of consumer education regarding safe food handling and storage practices is also emphasized. The conclusion emphasizes the central significance of food safety management as a foundation for population health and well-being, reinforcing that synergy and shared responsibility are indispensable pillars to ensure the supply of safe and healthy food for human consumption. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1072467

Coccidiosis of domestic food animals in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on coccidiosis in domestic food animals in Africa spanning the period from 2002 to 2022 was done with the objective of identifying the distribution of studies on the infection and aggregation of prevalence of the parasite in the study animals. A total of 43 articles met the eligibility criteria for inclusion in the review. These include 16 studies on cattle, 9 on sheep, 7 on goats, 2 on pigs and 18 on poultry. The results revealed pooled data from 8,717 cattle, out of which 3,211, representing 36.84%, were positive for coccidiosis. In sheep, a total of 1,916 samples were pooled, out of which 895 representing 46.71%, were positive for the disease. In goats, 2,148 samples were pooled, out of which 1,316, representing 61.26%, were positive for the disease. Two studies gave a total of 610 samples in pigs, out of which 78, representing 12.78%, were positive for coccidiosis. In poultry, 7,261 samples were pooled, out of which 2,894, representing 39.86%, were positive for coccidiosis. There were however, no significant differences in prevalence between the five species. The concentration method of ova and parasite examination was the commonest method of isolation of Eimeria identified in the current review. In conclusion, Eimeria infection is high in food animals in Africa. Therefore, to tackle the disease, there is a need for a concerted effort in the identification, diagnosis and general prevention and control of the disease. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1058017

Prevalence of tuberculosis among symptomatic individuals and the risk areas in Ondo State, Nigeria

Tuberculosis (TB) has been one of the diseases that are of public health problem globally. Nigeria was one out of eight countries accounting for two-thirds of people who developed TB. Of the global gap in TB case detection and notification, Ondo State reportedly has a notification gap of almost 11,100 TB cases in the year 2019 out of which only 1,891 cases were detected. The research was carried out in the three geopolitical zones of Ondo State: North, South and Central. Ondo State has 18 LGAs and an area of 14,788.7 km² with a population of 3,460,877. Participants were recruited through outreaches for the selected communities in each of the zones. The only inclusion criterion for participation in the study was those have been coughing consistently for more than two weeks. The participants were screened for HIV seropositivity by standard protocols, while screening for TB was conducted by a combination Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB) microscopy and Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (Gene Xpert MTB/RIF®). Over 10,000 participants were screened, of which 3200 subjects were found having symptoms related to TB. 513 were HIV patients and 41% were TB positive. Overall TB prevalence was found to be 623(19.5%). Akure South LGA recorded the highest overall prevalence of 39.0%. In the North district, Owo LGA recorded the highest prevalence (18.0%) while the least prevalence of (3.5%) was obtained in Ose LGA. The males were more infected (26.5%) than the females (15.3%). According to age groups, age group above 55 recorded the highest prevalence of 26.8% while the least prevalence of 15.3% was obtained in the age group 16-25. Dry season recorded higher prevalence of TB than the rainy season. Patients with low microbial load recorded the highest percentage of 45% while those with low intensities recorded the lowest percentage. Ondo State, Nigeria, has a high prevalence of TB disease, therefore there is need to increase public awareness and monitoring of individuals resident in the State. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1037091

Impact of irrigation regimes on productivity and profitability of maize + peanut intercropping system in Upper Egypt

Good management of soil and water use is one of the most important factors in agricultural sustainability, and intercropping systems are an important component of good agricultural practices. Thus, a field experiment was conducted at the Experimental Farm of Arab Al-Awamer Research Station, Assiut Governorate, Agriculture Research Center, Egypt, during the summer seasons of 2021 and 2022 to investigate the effect of maize (M) + peanut (P) intercropping system on productivity, water use efficiency, and profitability at varying irrigation regimes. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design using a split-plot arrangement with three replicates. Irrigation regimes (120, 100 and 80% ETc) were assigned to the main plots, while the intercropping systems (100% P + 25% M, 100% P + 33% M and 100% P + 50% M) were allocated to the sub-plots. The results showed that most traits of peanut and maize decreased substantially under the 80% ETc irrigation regime. While the largest values of traits were associated with the 120 % ETc. Averaged across the two seasons, the highest values of net return (1,441 US$/ha) were obtained when 100% peanut plants were intercropped with 25% maize at 120% ETc irrigation regime. Therefore, we recommend intercrop maize (25%) with peanut (100%) irrigated with 120% ETc to achieve higher yields and net return. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1041338

Indigenous plant Cannabis sativa: a comprehensive ethnobotanical and pharmacological review

Cannabis sativa (L.) is a plant indigenous to Central Asia and South-East Asia. It is widely used in ethnomedicines as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic, anticonvulsive, antidepressant, anticancer, antitumor, neuroprotective, anti-mutagenic, anti-allergic, and antibiotic. Numerous in vitro and in vivo investigations have already established these attributes of Cannabis. Numerous toxicological studies have demonstrated the dose-dependent toxicity of C. sativa against various pests. The exact identity of the phytoconstituents of C. sativa responsible for the observed biological effects and their mode of action at the molecular level is yet to be ascertained. This review provides a comprehensive update to the ethnomedicinal, phytochemistry, pharmacological activity, and toxicological profile of Cannabis sativa. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.811801

Serum creatinine and urea assays on Atellica® CH and Architect® ci4100: method comparison

Serum creatinine and urea are markers of renal function usually measured in conjunction. This study aims to evaluate the comparability of a new analyzer incorporated to our laboratory, Atellica® with the established analyzer, Architect ® ci 4100 in serum creatinine and urea assays. We ran 110 tests for creatinine and 107 for urea. In both analyzers, serum creatinine assay is based on the Jaffe reaction while urea measurement is based on the Roch-Ramel enzymatic reaction. Linear association between methods was evaluated using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Methods comparability was assessed using Passing-Bablok and Deming linear regression. Differences between analyzers were evaluated using Bland-Altman plot. For serum creatinine, regression equations are Atellica = 0.9721 x Architect - 2.7282 (Passing & Bablok) and Atellica = 0.8884 x Architect + 1.3456 (Deming). The mean difference between the two methods is -11.7 µmol/L as indicated by Bland-Altman plot. For urea, regression lines are expressed as Atellica = 1.0252 x Architect – 0.1609 (Passing-Bablok) and Atellica = 1.1424 x Architect – 0.9532 (Deming). Bland-Altman plot presented a mean difference of -0.1 mmol/L. These results could be described as a very good agreement between the two methods, the two analyzers could be used interchangeably. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.754215

HLA-A*02 affinity to SARS-CoV-2 and susceptibility to COVID-19

Coronavirus disease 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was declared by the World Health Organization as a global public health urgency. Considering the crucial role of HLA molecules in emerging infections, the interference of different HLA alleles on susceptibility to COVID-19 has been questioned in the scientific academy. Intending to elucidate the target ligand interactions, this present work selected the genotypes HLA-A*02, HLA-B*15, HLA-B*35 and HLA-B*44, as the most frequent in the Bahian population and the viral epitopes YLQPRTFLL, QYIKWPWYI, LTDEMIAQY, NYNYLYRLF, FIAGLIAIV, the most immunogenics of the spike glycoprotein peak. For protein selection, modeling and molecular docking was used the Allele Frequency Net Database (AFND), Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource (IEDB), the HADDOCK online server and the PEP-FOLD 3. Our findings suggest that HLA-A*02:01 is a risk genotype, since it showed lower energy affinity compared to HLA-B*15, HLA-B*35 and HLA-B*44. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1037197

Papillomavirus and cervical cancer: epidemiological study in a population of women in eastern Algeria

Cervical cancer, predominantly caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), is a significant public health issue in Algeria. While HPV is the primary pathogenic agent and sexually transmitted, other sexual and non-sexual factors also contribute as co-factors in the progression of HPV infection to cervical cancer. This study aims to identify the main risk factors associated with the development of cervical cancer in Algeria. The study included 54 women with cervical-vaginal smear abnormalities due to HPV infection, with an average age of 42.29 years (range: 25 to 65 years) and 7.40% being menopausal. Women married at an average age of 22.52 years, with 25.92% marrying before age 25 and 37.04% between 20 and 25 years. Parity ranged from 1 to 10 children, with an average of 4.96 births per woman. Among the women studied, 48.14% had an erosive cervix, 37.03% experienced cervix bleeding on contact, 11.11% had polypoid lesions, 7.4% were diabetic, and 7.4% had a history of recurrent genital infection. Cervical cancer is preventable through vigilant screening and early diagnosis. With an estimated incidence of 15.6 per 105,000 women annually, it ranks as the second most common cancer in Algerian women, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Emphasizing the importance of timely detection, this study highlights the need for proactive measures to combat cervical cancer, reducing its human and financial burdens. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.840582

Role of carvacrol and menthone in maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) management

Insecticides of synthetic origin used indiscriminately to manage insect pest populations are known for genotoxicity, neurotoxicity and teratogenicity in non-target organisms as well as the development of resistance in target insects. These issues have focused insect pest management research towards the use of plant-based chemicals of a volatile nature. In this study, two plant-origin volatile compounds, carvacrol and menthone have been evaluated for their potential insecticidal properties against the maize weevil Sitophilus zeamais (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). These two natural volatile chemicals repelled adults and caused lethality in adults as well as larvae. These two volatile chemicals inhibited acetylcholine esterase enzyme activity in adults when fumigated with sub-lethal concentrations. Both volatile chemicals reduced oviposition potential, progeny production and feeding behavior as well as prolonged the developmental period of the insect. Therefore, it can be concluded that these two natural volatile chemicals can be used in the preparation of volatile chemical-based formulations in the management of maize weevil S. zeamais. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1014501