In vitro, acidic, non-proteinaceous antifungal activities of lactic acid bacteria isolated from salad vegetables against human pathogenic Candida albicans

Background: The antagonistic abilities of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) against clinical isolates of Candida albicans are not quite widely reported and such are even scarce in Nigeria. This study therefore investigated inhibitory potentials of LAB isolated from locally grown cabbage, cucumber and lettuce against four (4) clinical isolates of C. albicans.Methods: The cell free supernatants (CFS) generated from LAB culture filtrate was evaluated for anti-candida activity using agar well diffusion method, and the CFS-LAB pH was measured and neutralized using standard methods. The proteinaceous inhibitory metabolites were assayed for using sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrilamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) technique. The LAB strains used were previously isolated and identified by 16S rRNA partial sequencing and their data submitted to GenBank for accessioning.Results: The CFS of six (6) LAB strains showed varying degrees of anti-candida activity. Pediococcus pentosaceus BTA 51 from cucumber showed the widest inhibition zone of 14 mm while at neutral pH, it was 12 mm diameter. Weissella confusa BTA 20, BTA 40 isolated from cabbage and lettuce produced 10 mm and 12 mm zones of inhibition at acidic and neutral pH respectively. Lactobacillus plantarum BTA 07 from lettuce showed inhibition zone of 12 mm while L. fermentum BTA 47 and BTA 62 from cucumber showed zones of 14 mm each in acidic pH only. The SDS-PAGE did not detect any proteinaceous substances.Conclusion: In conclusion, LAB isolated from cabbage, cucumber and lettuce produced organic acids, non proteinaceous metabolites at neutral pH, exhibiting invitro inhibitory abilities against clinical isolates of C. albicans.Keywords: In vitro, Lactic acid bacteria, 16S rRNA, antifungal, SDS-PAGE, salad vegetable

Prognostic implication of hypocalcaemia in COVID-19: a systematic review

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has been declared as a pandemic affecting several millions of people worldwide. It has varied clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic to critical illness. It has led to the mortality of several affected individuals. However, the prognosis seems to vary from one person to the other and efforts are being made to identify the prognostic factors. Hypocalcaemia has been identified as a poor prognostic factor with a high frequency among individuals affected with COVID-19. This review aims to estimate the prevalence of hypocalcaemia among COVID-19 patients and identify the poor prognostic factors associated with the presence of hypocalcaemia in COVID-19 patients. Electronic medical databases were searched for publications on the prognostic implications of hypocalcaemia in COVID-19 infection, and relevant articles were selected for systematic review following PRISMA algorithm. The prevalence of hypocalcaemia among patients with COVID-19 was 40.0-74.4%. There was a significant association between the rate of hospital admission, intensive care unit (ICU) admission as well as septic shock and hypocalcaemia in patients with COVID-19. Hypocalcaemia is also associated with a higher mortality rate in these patients. COVID-19 patients with hypocalcaemia tend to have elevated C-reactive protein, interleukin6, alanine transaminase, procalcitonin, serum creatinine and low albumin.   Hypocalcaemia is common in COVID-19 patients and is a poor prognostic factor in these patients. Presence of hypocalcaemia is  associated with a severe illness and even death. Keywords: COVID-19; hypocalcaemia; prognosis; systematic revie

A review of the implications of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Bifidobacteria in human and animal diseases

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and Bifidobacteria are taxonomically distinct groups of bacteria with proven biotechnological properties such as anti-cancer, immune-stimulating, anti-microbial, maintenance of normal flora balance, probiotics, anti-inflammatory, vaccine carriers, among others. However, studies have implicated some of them, including the ones under the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) qualified presumption of safety in fatal human and veterinary diseases. We performed online database searches of publications on Google, Google Scholar and PubMed using the criteria, “lactic acid bacteria, bifidobacteria as causative agents of human, animal diseases”. Data generated showed LAB across genera and Bifidobacteria either primarily or opportunistically involved in diseases of both immuno-competent and immuno-depressed humans and animals. The members of lactobacilli such as Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus oris, Lactobacillus gasseri and Leuconostoc mesenteroides, were mainly implicated in nosocomial infections, endophthalmitis, neonatal meningitis, and bacteraemia while Lactobacillus delbrueckii and Bifidobacteria, specifically, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium breve, and Bifidobacterium animalis were implicated in urinary tract infections (UTIs), necrotizing pancreatitis, fatal pulmonary infections, sepsis, and epidural abscess. The animal diseases, neonatal sepsis in foal, was caused by Weissella confusa while the fish pathogen, Lactococcus garvieae caused various zoonotic cases such as acute acalculous cholecystitis in human. In conclusion, this review showed the up-to-date reports on LAB and Bifidobacteria implicated in serious humans and animal diseases