Typhoid glomerulonephritis and intestinal perforation in a Nigerian child

The number of children with renal complications following salmonella infection cannot be precisely defined in the sub-Saharan Africa due to scarcity of reliable data. We report a 3-year-old boy with glomerulonephritis secondary to typhoid infection and later intestinal perforation. He  presented with fever, generalized body swelling, oliguria, coke-coloredurine and hypertension and had been managed 3 weeks earlier for typhoid fever in a private hospital. Laboratory investigations showed proteinuria, hematuria with red cell casturia and azotemia. Abdominal X-ray done was suggestive of typhoid intestinal perforation that was confirmed at   exploratory laparotomy. He was managed aggressively with antibiotics and was discharged on the 25th day of admission. To the best of our   knowledge, this is the first documented case report of acute   glomerulonephritis and intestinal perforation as co.complications of salmonella infection in Nigeria.Key words: Acute glomerulonephritis, intestinal perforation, Nigeria, typhoid feve

Occurrence of parasitic helminths among free-range pigs in five Local Government Areas of Owerri zone, Imo State, Nigeria

A study of helminth parasites in free-range pigs involving 4 months fecal examinations for helminth eggs was carried out in five Local Government Areas of Owerri zone, Imo State Nigeria. Of the 90 pigs examined, 56(62.2%) were infected with gastro-intestinal helminth parasites. Among the examined pigs, 35(38.9%) were males, with an infection rate of 22(39.3%), while 55(61.1%) were females and had a prevalence rate of 34(60.7%). Taenia solium, (a cestode) recorded the highest prevalence rate of 15(26.8%) among pigs in all the LGAs and was followed by Ascaris suum (a nematode), which recorded 13(23.2%). The whipworm, Trichuris suis also a nematode occurred in pigs from all the local government areas. Physocephalus saxalatus (a nematode) recorded the least prevalence rate of 1(1.8%) and this is probably the first report of this spiruda nematode among pigs in Owerri zone, Imo state, Nigeria. Other gastro-intestinal helminth parasites encountered include the trematode, Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus and two other nematodes, Strongyloides ransomi and Oesophagostomum dentatum. Female pigs had more helminth infections across the 5 local government areas than the males. Veterinary education emphasizing routine medication of pigs roaming the environments of local government areas of Imo state is needed, since the present study showed very high prevalence rates of parasitic helminthes. International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences Vol. 2(1) 2006: 72-7

Physiological evaluation of broiler finishers fed fermented bovine blood and rumen digesta meal

A 35-day feeding trial involving three hundred (300) five (5) week old broilers was carried out in a completely randomized design to evaluate the haematology, serum biochemical and gastro-intestinal characteristics of broiler finishers fed diets containing a mixture of fermented bovine blood and rumen digesta (FBBRD) meal at dietary levels of 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 %, respectively. The birds were randomly grouped into five, with sixty birds each and four replicates of fifteen birds per treatment. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected from eight birds randomly selected from each treatment for haematological and biochemical analyses. The group on 10 % FBBRD diet had significantly (P<0.05) higher packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration and red blood cells. Eosinophil values of birds on all the treatment groups except those on 5 % FBBRD dietary level were within the normal range. Serum biochemical analysis of the experimental birds recorded significant (P<0.05) differences in total protein, albumin, creatinine, cholesterol, except blood sugar concentrations. Serum concentrations of sodium and potassium of the experimental birds were also significantly (P<0.05) different. This study suggested that FBBRD meal when properly processed and at 10 % dietary level of inclusion, can be used in broiler finisher production without adverse effects on the physiological indices of birds.Keywords: Physiological evaluation ,broiler finisher ,bovine blood rumen digesta

Comparative study of factors affecting birth weight of Muturu, N'dama and Boran cattle in South eastern Nigeria

Data on two hundred and thirty five (235) calves consisting of 45 Muturu, 140 N'dama and 50 Boran were subjected to factorial analyses over the period January 1997 to April 2002, during which some factors affecting birth weight were studied. Results indicated that the mean birth weights of Muturu, N'dama and Boran calves were 14.04±2.60, 13.89±0.28 and 24.50±0.70 kg respectively. The effects of breed and sex interaction were statistically significant (

Microemulsions as a Novel Toolfor Enhancing the Bioremediation of Xenobiotics

Bioremediation is an advantageous and sustainable technology to remediate contaminated environments since it is cost-effective and environmentally safe.However, some pollutants such as most organochlorine pesticides and hydrocarbons are poorly soluble in water and thus tend to adhere tightly to soil particles. Therefore, the degradation of hydrophobic compounds is usually slow and frequently unsatisfactory due to the difficulties related to their transfer from soil particles to the aqueous phase, where these compounds are more available for degradative microorganisms. In this relation, a fundamental issue for the bioremediation processes is to overcome the limited accessibility of these hydrophobic pollutants for the microorganisms. As an alternative to synthetic surfactants, which are usually introduced into bioremediation processes with the aim of enhancing the bioavailability of hydrophobic pollutants, microemulsions have attained increasing significance both in basic research and environmental applications. Microemulsions consist of a combination of surfactants, co-surfactants, and oil phase and have demonstrated to be promising candidates due to its much higher solubilization capacity.Fil: Sáez, Juliana María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Casillas García, Verena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; ArgentinaFil: Polti, Marta Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Benimeli, Claudia Susana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Catamarca; Argentin