Handling practices and contamination of raw milk sold for consumption in markets of Kwara State, Nigeria

Milk handling practices in the Nigerian informal sector are usually poorly done. This is a threat to food safety and public health. We investigated the common practices by handlers involved in the milk processing and the contamination levels of raw cow milk marketed for consumption in Kwara State, Nigeria. In a cross-sectional survey, a pretested questionnaire (n = 500) was administered to consenting vendors to assess practices employed in milk processing. Raw cattle milk (n = 1225) sold in markets of Kwara State were assessed for contamination using the Total aerobic count (TAC) and Total coliform count (TCC) methods. Data were analysed by descriptive and inferential statistics. The majority of respondents were married (84%), females (65.2%), and had no formal education (43.2%). Some unwholesome practices among vendors such as pooling unsold milk (40.6%), adding unsterilized water to milk (22.2%), and sourcing water from streams (53.2%) were reported. Females (OR = 0.09; 95% CI: 0.040, 0.170; p < 0.001) and those with tertiary educational level (OR=0.01, 95% CI: 0.002, 0.041; p < 0.001) were less likely to be associated with unsatisfactory hygienic practices. All TAC and TCC were higher than 5logcfu/ml and higher counts were observed in the dry season. Because of public safety, a high-level hygienic and good milk handling practices – while enlightenment of vendors on standard hygiene, are required

Handling practices and contamination of raw milk sold for consumption in markets of Kwara State, Nigeria

Milk handling practices in the Nigerian informal sector are usually poorly done. This is a threat to food safety and public health. We investigated the common practices by handlers involved in the milk processing and the contamination levels of raw cow milk marketed for consumption in Kwara State, Nigeria. In a cross-sectional survey, a pretested questionnaire (n = 500) was administered to consenting vendors to assess practices employed in milk processing. Raw cattle milk (n = 1225) sold in markets of Kwara State were assessed for contamination using the Total aerobic count (TAC) and Total coliform count (TCC) methods. Data were analysed by descriptive and inferential statistics. The majority of respondents were married (84%), females (65.2%), and had no formal education (43.2%). Some unwholesome practices among vendors such as pooling unsold milk (40.6%), adding unsterilized water to milk (22.2%), and sourcing water from streams (53.2%) were reported. Females (OR = 0.09; 95% CI: 0.040, 0.170; p < 0.001) and those with tertiary educational level (OR=0.01, 95% CI: 0.002, 0.041; p < 0.001) were less likely to be associated with unsatisfactory hygienic practices. All TAC and TCC were higher than 5logcfu/ml and higher counts were observed in the dry season. Because of public safety, a high-level hygienic and good milk handling practices – while enlightenment of vendors on standard hygiene, are required

Female reproductive tract infections: understandings and care seeking behaviour among women of reproductive age in Lagos, Nigeria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Reproductive tract infections (RTI's) are endemic in developing countries and entail a heavy toll on women. If untreated, RTI's can lead to adverse health outcomes such as infertility, ectopic pregnancy and increased vulnerability to transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus. It is also associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. While RTI's and its sequelae abound in Nigeria, there is paucity of publications on the subject in the country. This study assessed the understandings and care seeking behavior with regards to RTI's among women of reproductive age in Lagos, Nigeria with the aim of improving awareness on the subject.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A descriptive cross sectional survey of women attending the gynaecological outpatient and family planning clinics of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital was carried out between 1^stJune 2008 and 31^stAugust 2008 using a pre-tested questionnaire. Data was analysed using the Epi-Info 3.5 statistical software of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta U.S.A.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Most of the respondents (77.2%) had heard of RTI's. Toilet was the most perceived mode of contracting RTI's (44.6%), followed by sexual intercourse and poor hygiene. Vaginal discharge was the commonest symptom of RTI's named while inability to get pregnant was the commonest named complication. Majority of the respondent's demonstrated poor overall knowledge of symptoms and complications of RTI"s. 37.4% of the respondents had experienced symptoms of RTI's in the preceding six months. Vaginal discharge was the commonest symptom reported (21.8%) and the majority of those who reported symptoms sought medical treatment. Government health centres were the most visited health facilities for treatment.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Even though most of the respondents have heard of RTI's and sought treatment when symptomatic, they demonstrated poor overall understanding of the subject. There is need to educate women on preventive strategies, as RTI's are often assymptomatic.</p

Prevalence and Characterization of Motile Salmonella in Commercial Layer Poultry Farms in Bangladesh

Salmonella is a globally widespread food-borne pathogen having major impact on public health. All motile serovars of Salmonella enterica of poultry origin are zoonotic, and contaminated meat and raw eggs are an important source to human infections. Information on the prevalence of Salmonella at farm/holding level, and the zoonotic serovars circulating in layer poultry in the South and South-East Asian countries including Bangladesh, where small-scale commercial farms are predominant, is limited. To investigate the prevalence of Salmonella at layer farm level, and to identify the prevalent serovars we conducted a cross-sectional survey by randomly selecting 500 commercial layer poultry farms in Bangladesh. Faecal samples from the selected farms were collected following standard procedure, and examined for the presence of Salmonella using conventional bacteriological procedures. Thirty isolates were randomly selected, from the ninety obtained from the survey, for serotyping and characterized further by plasmid profiling and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Results of the survey showed that the prevalence of motile Salmonella at layer farm level was 18% (95% confidence interval 15–21%), and Salmonella Kentucky was identified to be the only serovar circulating in the study population. Plasmid analysis of the S. Kentucky and non-serotyped isolates revealed two distinct profiles with a variation of two different sizes (2.7 and 4.8 kb). PFGE of the 30 S. Kentucky and 30 non-serotyped isolates showed that all of them were clonally related because only one genotype and three subtypes were determined based on the variation in two or three bands. This is also the first report on the presence of any specific serovar of Salmonella enterica in poultry in Bangladesh

Salmonella Serovars, Antibiotic Resistance, and Virulence Factors Isolated from Intestinal Content of Slaughtered Chickens and Ready-to-Eat Chicken Gizzards in the Ilorin Metropolis, Kwara State, Nigeria

Salmonellosis is one of the most common and widely distributed food-borne diseases, and the presence of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella in poultry and poultry products is a global public health problem. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2016 to July 2017 with an aim of determining the isolation rates of Salmonella species from the intestinal contents of slaughtered chickens, the most common serotypes that invade and colonize the tissues of chickens in Ilorin, and the susceptibilities of the isolated species to commonly used antibiotics. Four hundred samples of intestinal contents from apparently healthy slaughtered chickens and one hundred ready-to-eat chicken gizzards in Ilorin, Kwara State, were examined for the presence of Salmonella and their serotypes. Salmonellae were isolated and identified according to the techniques recommended by the World Health Organization: preenrichment, selective plating, biochemical testing, and serotyping. A total number of forty-three (43) Salmonella isolates consisting of 33 from intestinal contents and 10 from ready-to-eat chicken gizzards were isolated and identified. There was an overall Salmonella prevalence rate of 8.6% (43/500), and the isolates were distributed as follows: gizzard, 2% (n=10) and intestinal contents, 6.6% (n=33). The predominant serovars were Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar 45: d: 1, 7 (16) and S. Haifa (5). All ready-to-eat chicken gizzards were associated with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar 45: d: 1, 7 (5). The Salmonella from intestinal contents belong to Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovars 45: d: 1, 7 (11) and S. Haifa (5). Salmonella species isolated were 100% resistant to ciprofloxacin, ampicillin, and ceftazidime. This is followed by cloxacillin (81%), tetracycline (75%), and sulfamethoxazole (67%). The Salmonella isolates were, however, 100% sensitive to enrofloxacin, 74% to streptomycin, and 72% to gentamycin antibiotics. The most common serotype was S. enterica subsp. enterica serovar 45: d: 1, 7. All the twenty five Salmonella serovars consisting of twenty-one serotypes (n=21), two of the Salmonella that could not be cultured after enrichment, and the two that were contaminated with Proteus possessed the virulence genes of invA and stn. The Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar 45: d: 1, 7 and S. Haifa possess virulence genes so they are potentially virulent for humans in this area. The national and local health authorities in Nigeria should improve hygiene measures especially at retail slaughter markets to reduce salmonellosis which is one of the most important food-borne diseases in humans