Antifungal activities of the essential oil extracted from the tea of savanna (Lippia multiflora) in Côte d’Ivoire

The objective of this study was to evaluate the antifungal potency of the essential oil of tea of savanna (Lippia multiflora) on three fungal strains. The essential oil is extracted of Lippia multiflora by steam distillation and the antifungal activity in vitro was investigated on Apergillus flavus,  Asperguillus Niger and Fusarium sp species. This activity was realized by incorporation of the plant extract in Sabouraud medium prepared by a double dilution. The study revealed a sensitivity of these three species to the essential oil extracted from Lippia multiflora. It has been observed, in a descending order of sensitivity, a minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of 2.08 ± 0.58 µl / ml with Aspergillus flavus; 4.16 ± 1.17 µl / ml with Aspergillus Niger and 8.33 ± 2.35 µl / ml with Fusarium sp. The antifungal potency of the essential oil extracted from Lippia multiflora, allows  considering its use as a novel approach in the field of integrated management of cereal stocks in post-harvest.Keywords: Essential oil, Lippia multiflora, Antifungal, Aspergillus, Fusarium

Occurrence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Enterococcus spp. Isolated from Lettuce and Irrigation Water in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

Background: Enterococcus spp., belonging to the group of lactic acid bacteria, are Gram-positive ubiquitous commensals of the intestines of human beings as well as warmblooded animals. The main objective of this study was to determine the occurrence and antimicrobial resistance of Enterococcus spp. isolated from lettuce and irrigation water in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Methods: A total of 72 samples, including leaves of lettuce (n=36) and irrigation water (n=36) were randomly collected from three different agricultural sites located in Abidjan city, Côte d'Ivoire. After microbial analysis and identification of Enterococcus spp. by culturing and biochemical methods, antimicrobial susceptibility tests were carried out using disk diffusion method. Data were analyzed by statistical processing software R (R 3.0 for Windows). Results: E. faecalis was recognized as the most prevalent strain which was found in 27 out of 36 (75%) lettuce as well as 29 out of 36 (80.5%) irrigation water samples. The mean Enterococcus load of lettuces and irrigation water samples were 2.3±0.7 and 3.6±2 log Colony Forming Unit per g lettuce, respectively. Among 45 studied enterococci isolates, the most antibiotic-resistance rates were related to erythromycin (54%) and also co-trimoxazole (49%). Conclusion: There is a considerable public health concern regarding raw consumption of lettuce cultivated in Abidjan city which can cause gastroenteritis diseases in consumers

COVID-19 effects on the Canadian term structure of interest rates

In Canada, COVID-19 pandemic triggered exceptional monetary policy interventions by the central bank, which in March 2020 made multiple unscheduled cuts to its target rate. In this paper we assess the extent to which Bank of Canada interventions affected the determinants of the yield curve. In particular, we apply Functional Principal Component Analysis to the term structure of interest rates. We find that, during the pandemic, the long-run dependence of level and slope components of the yield curve is unchanged with respect to previous months, although the shape of the mean yield curve completely changed after target rate cuts. Bank of Canada was effective in lowering the whole yield curve and correcting the inverted hump of previous months, but it was not able to reduce the exposure to already existing long-run risks

COVID-19 effects on the Canadian term structure of interest rates

In Canada, COVID-19 pandemic triggered exceptional monetary policy interventions by the central bank, which in March 2020 made multiple unscheduled cuts to its target rate. In this paper we assess the extent to which Bank of Canada interventions affected the determinants of the yield curve. In particular, we apply Functional Principal Component Analysis to the term structure of interest rates. We find that, during the pandemic, the long-run dependence of level and slope components of the yield curve is unchanged with respect to previous months, although the shape of the mean yield curve completely changed after target rate cuts. Bank of Canada was effective in lowering the whole yield curve and correcting the inverted hump of previous months, but it was not able to reduce the exposure to already existing long-run risks

Impact of oral and intramuscular administration amoxicillin on the selection of amoxicillin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in the digestive flora of piglets

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of selection of amoxicillin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in the digestive microbiota of piglets during oral and intramuscular administration of amoxicillin.Methodology and Results: Enumeration of Enterobacteriaceae was carried out on MacConkey agar with and without amoxicillin. E. coli isolates were identified and subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility test. The percentages of amoxicillin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae before treatment were between 10-13% for the three groups of piglets. After starting treatment of amoxicillin, from day 1 to day 4, the percentages of resistant Enterobacteriaceae were between 54 to 81% for the intramuscular treated groups and 58 to 87% for those treated orally. In the control group, percentage was 11%. During days of treatments, the percentage of amoxicillin-resistant E. coli strains to the associated antibiotics evolved during the treatments. In the control piglets, the percentages of E. coli resistant antibiotics did not increase.Conclusion and application of findings: Administration of oral amoxicillin resulted in a greater selection of resistant enterobacteria in the digestive microbiota of piglets than those induced by the intramuscular route. Escherichia coli, an important strain in animal and human pathology, was the target of detection in this selection of these resistant enterobacteria. They constitute a public health risk due to the transfer of resistance genes from pathogenic bacteria of porcine origin to the human digestive flora via the food chain. The results obtained from this study are part of a bacterial resistance monitoring policy that will prevent pig farmers from Côte d’Ivoire, the majority user of these antibiotics.Keywords: Piglets, Enterobacteriaceae, Amoxicillin, Resistance, Digestive microbiot

The Colonial Hotel: spacing violence at the Grande Hotel, Beira, Mozambique

In spite of its dereliction, the Grande Hotel in Beira, Mozambique, has emerged as an iconic African building. The dissonant meanings of this site, offer multiple opportunities to investigate the intersection of space and colonialism. We focus upon the cultural and political topologies of the hotel, and of colonial hotels generally, and make the proposition that they were a particular kind of violent colonial institution. By converging a relational reading of both violence and architecture, we reconstruct through the excavation of archival and related materials, the processes present in the histories of the hotel and city at large, to unmask how they acted as spaces of slow violence. White settler’s activities and rationales were underpinned by deliberative strategies of unknowing, forgetting, disavowal which together formed a kind of cultural agnosia that insulated them from the foundational violence that supported the colonial condition. We use a dispersed concept of violence, understood as a tactical and mutable process, which moves between physical, symbolic, embodied and performative domains. We address these domains in the paper through an analysis of the ways the city of Beira was planned, its architecture shaped and represented, and in the recreational and social performances within the hotel.Fieldwork in Mozambique was possible due to the funding from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (SFRH/BSAB/1430/2014) and the support from the Centre for Geographical Studies, University of Lisbon.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio