Presence of Cryptococcus species in domestic chicken (Gallus Gallus) droppings and the possible risk it posed to humans in Kabigeriet Village, Nakuru Country, Kenya

Objective: To isolate and identify Cryptococcus from domestic Chicken dropping.Design: cross sectional study.Setting: Kabigeriet village, Olenguorone Division, Nakuru county, approximately 282 km from Nairobi, Kenya.Subjects: Sixty four domestic chicken droppings were sampled in thirty two homesteads after obtaining the farmers consent.Results: Two species of Cryptococcus were isolated.Conclusion: Domestic chicken (Gallus gallus) harbor Pathogenic Cryptococcus in their dropping and their close proximity to human habitation poses a risk of AIDS to immunocompromised persons

Oxacillin resistant Staphlococcus aureus among HIV infected and non-infected Kenyan patients

Background: Infections due to methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) present global challenges to clinicians since therapeutic options are limited and suboptimal dosing contributes to heightened mortality and increased length of hospital stay particularly among the HIV infected patients.Objectives: To assess the prevalence and relative risk of MRSA infections in HIV infected patients.Design: Cross sectional analytical study.Setting: Kenya Medical Research Institute, Opportunistic Infection Laboratories in Nairobi.Subjects: Four hundred and thirty six male and female patients aged one to 65 years, of whom 220 were HIV-infected and 216 were non-infected.Results: There was 436 male (57.1%) and female (42.9%) respondents. The prevalence of MRSA was 26.3% with majority infecting the HIV infected patients (P=0.046). Likewise, the overall Staphylococcal infections were more common in HIV patients (

Microbiological characteristics of clinical isolates of Cryptococcus spp. in Bahia, Brazil: molecular types and antifungal susceptibilities

To determine the profiles of susceptibility to antifungal and the genotypes of clinical isolates of Cryptococcus in Bahia, Brazil, 62 isolates were collected from cases of meningitis in the period from 2006 to 2010. Their susceptibilities to fluconazole, itraconazole, amphotericin B and 5-flucytosine were determined by the broth microdilution technique described by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute and genotyping of the URA5 gene was accomplished by restriction fragment length polymorphism. C. neoformans accounted for 79% of the identified yeast and C. gattii represented the remaining 21%. Evaluation of the genotypes determined that 100% of the C. gattii isolates belong to the VGII genotype, and 98% of the C. neoformans isolates belong to the VNI genotype. Determination of susceptibility revealed isolates resistant to fluconazole (4.8%), 5-flucytosine (1.6%) and amphotericin B (3.2%); the stratification of sensitivity results for each species showed significant differences in susceptibility to azoles. This study is the first to describe the susceptibility profiles of molecular and clinical isolates of Cryptococcus in Bahia, Brazil. The high percentage of C. gattii isolates belonging to the VGII genotype and its lower susceptibility to antifungal agents highlight the importance of knowing which species are involved in cryptococcal infections in northeastern Brazil

Total aflatoxin, fumonisin and deoxynivalenol contamination of busaa in Bomet county, Kenya

Mycotoxin contamination is a common problem in developing countries, particularly in cereals, and this poses a serious health risk to its consumers. Busaa is a Kenyan traditional brew whose cereal ingredients are prone to mycotoxin contamination. This study aimed at detecting the presence and subsequently quantifying aflatoxin, fumonisin and deoxynivalenol (DON), in busaa in Bomet county, Kenya. Busaa samples were collected from homesteads involved in brewing in the north eastern part of Bomet East constituency. Mycotoxins were detected in the samples using the Envirologix QuickTox kits and quantified using the QuickScan machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. Among the 61 samples tested, 93, 9.8 and 23% were contaminated with aflatoxin, fumonisin and DON, respectively, (mean: 5.2±0.2 µg/kg, range: 2.8 to 11 µg/kg; mean 1460±188 µg/kg, range 280 to 4000 µg/kg, mean 259±5.2 µg/kg, range 200 to 360 µg/kg, respectively). Although traditional brews are not directly included in the European law on mycotoxins, it is important to consider their mycotoxin levels. In this study, busaa is a mainly a maize product and also the European Union (EU) guidelines on mycotoxins in maize were used as reference. It was found out that 65.6% of busaa had aflatoxin levels above the limit set in the EU guideline (4 µg/kg). Although, the average levels of fumonisin and DON were within the set limits (fumonisins: 4000 µg/kg; DON: 1750 µg/kg), studies have shown that chronic exposure to multiple mycotoxins has detrimental health effects. Therefore, there is need for mycotoxicological quality control of traditionally produced brews for public mycotoxicological safety.Keywords: Mycotoxin, traditional brewAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol 13(26) 2675-267