Lactobacillus sp and some fungi from termite nests on kolanut trees had mild antagonistic effects against pathogens isolated from paediatric patients

Background: Residents in a rural suburb of Akure jettisoned antibiotic treatment; sought alternative cure to rising incidence of paediatric infections in 2017 from local herbal dealers, with many residents claiming of better treatment response. We investigated these claims since the local herbal formula included kola nut barks and ground termites.Methodology: Microorganisms associated with termite nests on kola nut trees in the affected community were characterized and identified using standard techniques. The Kirby Bauer disk diffusion was used to evaluate the susceptibility of the bacterial isolates to selected antibiotics. Plasmid profile of multiple antibiotic resistant bacterial isolates (MDRIs) was determined by the Birnboim and Doly method while post plasmid curing antibiotic susceptibility was performed on the MDRIs against the same selected antibiotics. The microorganisms were also evaluated for possible antagonistic effects against Salmonella sp, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes isolated from paediatric patients during the period of study using previously described methods.Results: Bacteria (Corynebacterium sp, Streptococcus sp, Acinetobacter sp and Lactobacillus sp) and fungal (Geotrichum condidum, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium fujikuroi) were isolated from the termite nests. The antibiotic susceptibility revealed that Corynebacterium sp and Streptococcus sp were multiply antibiotic resistant, and this was confirmed to be plasmid mediated based on plasmid analysis and curing. The Lactobacillus sp, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium fujikuroi and Geotrichum condidum exhibited mild antagonisms against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella sp and Streptococcus pyogenes isolated from paediatric patients.Conclusion: This study suggests that termite nests on kola nut trees contain microbes that possess antagonistic actions against pathogens from paediatric patients and that some bacteria associated with termite guts may pose significant risk of increased antibiotic resistance if implicated in human infections.Keywords: Termite nests, Resistance, Antagonistic microbes, Termites, Plasmid, Kola nut tre

Genome-wide association analysis reveals genetic architecture and candidate genes associated with grain yield and other traits under low soil nitrogen in early-maturing white quality protein maize inbred lines

Open Access Journal; Published online: 05 May 2022Maize production in the savannas of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is constrained by the low nitrogen in the soils. The identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) conferring tolerance to low soil nitrogen (low-N) is crucial for the successful breeding of high-yielding QPM maize genotypes under low-N conditions. The objective of this study was to identify QTLs significantly associated with grain yield and other low-N tolerance-related traits under low-N. The phenotypic data of 140 early-maturing white quality protein maize (QPM) inbred lines were evaluated under low-N. The inbred lines were genotyped using 49,185 DArTseq markers, from which 7599 markers were filtered for population structure analysis and genome-wide association study (GWAS). The inbred lines were grouped into two major clusters based on the population structure analysis. The GWAS identified 24, 3, 10, and 3 significant SNPs respectively associated with grain yield, stay-green characteristic, and plant and ear aspects, under low-N. Sixteen SNP markers were physically located in proximity to 32 putative genes associated with grain yield, stay-green characteristic, and plant and ear aspects. The putative genes GRMZM2G127139, GRMZM5G848945, GRMZM2G031331, GRMZM2G003493, GRMZM2G067964, GRMZM2G180254, on chromosomes 1, 2, 8, and 10 were involved in cellular nitrogen assimilation and biosynthesis, normal plant growth and development, nitrogen assimilation, and disease resistance. Following the validation of the markers, the putative candidate genes and SNPs could be used as genomic markers for marker-assisted selection, to facilitate genetic gains for low-N tolerance in maize production