Studies on the efficacy of some preservatives used in packaged orange drinks

The antibacterial activity of benzoic acid and sodium benzoate was investigated against bacterial isolates from packaged orange drinks using agar well diffusion and broth dilution methods. The antibacterial activity ofthe test agents against the standard NCTC bacteria species was also tested. The bacterial count from the packaged orange drinks ranged from 3.0 x 105 cfu/ml and 1.43 x106 cfu/ml. The bacteria species detectedconsisted of Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Micrococcus sp. The zones of inhibition of benzoic acid ranged from 19.0 mm – 31.5 mm while that of sodium benzoate ranged from 13.5mm – 36.5 mm. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the preservatives against the test bacteria ranged between 0.156 ìg/ml and 0.625 ìg/ml while the Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) rangedbetween 0.313 ìg/ml and 500 ìg/ml. The preservatives were more effective against the Gram positive bacteria than the Gram negative bacteria. The preservatives at the concentration used in the examined drinks areinadequate to keep off indicator organisms and to ensure their safe consumption

Incidence and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Bacterial Isolates from Wound Infections in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

Purpose: To investigate the incidence of different bacteria isolates in 150 wound infections in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria and their antibacterial susceptibility patterns.Methods: Wound swab samples were collected from general culture bench of the Microbiology Department, after obtaining consent from the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee, and cultured for bacterial isolates. The isolates were characterized and identified by standard microbiological methods. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was carried out using Kirby-Bauer-CLSI modified Disc Agar Diffusion technique.Results: Out of the 150 specimens collected, 82 % were infected with bacteria made up predominantl of Staphylococcus aureus (22 %), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (19.9 %), Citrobacter spp (15 %), Escherichia coli (14.7 %) and Proteus mirabilis (14.5 %). In vitro antibiotic susceptibility tests showed that Pseudomonas aeruginosa was susceptible to ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin and gentamicin while the enteric bacteria were generally more resistant to ceftazidime, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin.Conclusion: The findings show that there is a high rate of wound infection in Kano, Nigeria and that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are present in the wound sites.Keywords: Wound infection , Antibiotic, Susceptibility, Bacterial resistanc

Bacterial aetiology of septicaemia in children of post-neonatal age at the Institute of Child Health, Banzazzau, Zaria, Nigeria

Introduction: Septicaemia is a clinical syndrome characterized by systemic inflammatory response. It is has been reported to be one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among children in developing countries of the world.Objectives: the aims of the study were to determine the prevalence of septicaemia in children brought to the Institute of Child Health Banzazzau, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, (ABUTH) Zaria and to isolate the aetiologic agents responsible for septicaemia in these children.Methods: Blood samples of children (aged one month – 12 years) with clinical symptoms of suspected septicaemia was taken under strict aseptic condition and inoculated into thioglycolate broth then incubated for 24hrs Subcultures were made after the first 24 hrs onto blood, chocolate and MacConkey agar plates and also when there were signs of bacterial growth shown by turbidity of the samples. Identification of isolates was based on their morphology on agar plates, Gram stain reaction and biochemical properties.Results: The mean age was three years with a peak in the first year of life. The male: female ratio was 1:1.3. Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella species were the commonest isolates accounting for 24 (43.64%) and 13 (23.64%) respectively. Other bacterial isolates included Coagulase negative staphyloc occi(CoNS) (7.27%), Citrobacter specie (10.94%), Pseudomonas specie (7.24%), Proteus species (3.64%) and Klebsiella species (3.64%).Conclusion: Results show both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria to be implicated with septicaemia with Staph aureus and Salmonella being the most frequent aetiologic agents, children less than or equal to five years were mostly affected, there is a need for routine monitoring of bacterial isolates and the age group at risk.Keywords: Bacterial isolates, children, septicaemia

Microbiological Evaluation of Packaged Pineapple Juice Marketed in Kaduna Metropolis

The microbial quality of ten brands of pineapple drinks sold in retail outlets in Kaduna, Nigeria was assessed by microbiological routine methods. All the pineapple drinks tested had high level of microbial contamination. The bacteria count was between 1.5 x 105 and 5.3 x106 colony forming units (cfu) ml-1 while the mould/ yeast count was between 2.2 x 104 and 5.2 x 105 spore forming units (sfu) ml-1. The bacteria species detected consisted of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli Enterobacter aerogenes, Bacillus subtilis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The mould/yeast includes Penicillum spp., Candida sp, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus. The susceptibility pattern of Staph. aureus, E. coli, Enterobacter aerogenes and Ps. aeruginosa isolated from the pineapple drinks showed that Ps. aeruginosa showed complete resistance to some of the antibiotics. The results are discussed in the light of health hazards posed by microbiologically poor pineapple drinks.Keywords: Microbiological evaluation, packaged pineapple drinks, marketedNigerian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, Vol. 8 No 1 pp. 281 - 287 (September 2010