Irradiation of Foods: A Better Alternative in Controlling Economic Losses

Food irradiation as a better alternative to other food processing methods is discussed. Irradiation is a promising new food safety technology that can eliminate disease-causing microorganisms such as E.coli 0157:H7, Camplyobacter and Salmonellae from foods; delay maturation of fruits and inhibit sprouting of bulbs and onions. The yearly and cyclic scarcity of fruits and vegetables during their non-productive period is a known phenomenon in most developing countries. Post-harvest losses are due to microorganisms, which destroy these foods. The process, consumer acceptance, nutritional and microbiological safety are highlighted in this paper. @JASE

ANTIMICROBIAL SUSEPTIBILITY OF NEISSERRIA GONORRHOEAE ISOLATED FROM PATIENTS ATTENDING VARIOUS CLINICS IN PAMBEGUWA, KADUNA STATE.

Antimicrobial resistant strains of gonococcal isolates have spread in many developing countries. In most African countries, the susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae is rarely tested. The antimicrobial susceptibility of one hundred and eight (108) Neisseria gonorrhoeae was therefore determined. Of the 108 isolates tested, 80 (74.07%) were resistant to penicillin, 74 (68.5%) were resistant to ampicillin. The resistance profiles for the remaining antibiotics tested were as follows: Erythromycin (58.3%), Tetracycline (62%) and gentamicin (25.9%). All the isolates were susceptible to ceftriaxone, cefuroxime and ofloxacin. Of the 80 penicillin resistant strains, 65 (81.3%) were penicillinase producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG). The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of Penicillin against 9 gonococcal isolates, Ampicillin against 5 Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates and Tetracycline against 2 gonococcal isolates was 32.0µg/ml. A total of 108 isolates were susceptible to 0.125µg/ml of ceftriaxone, cefuroxime and ofloxacin respectively. The high prevalence of PPNG and multiple drug resistance strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae is associated with self-medication and sexual interaction between commercial sex workers (CSWs) resident in Pambeguwa and the long-distance truck drivers. Antimicrobial susceptibility test should be carried out on every gonococcal isolate obtained to ensure effective therapy. The present study was undertaken to assess the antimicrobial susceptibility of gonococcal isolates recovered from patients in Pambeguwa,Kaduna state, Nigeria

Borna disease virus (BDV) circulating immunocomplex positivity in addicted patients in the Czech Republic: a prospective cohort analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Borna disease virus (BDV) is an RNA virus belonging to the family Bornaviridae. Borna disease virus is a neurotropic virus that causes changes in mood, behaviour and cognition. BDV causes persistent infection of the central nervous system. Immune changes lead to activation of infection. Alcohol and drug dependence are associated with immune impairment.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We examined the seropositivity of BDV circulating immunocomplexes (CIC) in patients with alcohol and drug dependence and healthy individuals (blood donors). We examined 41 addicted patients for the presence of BDV CIC in the serum by ELISA at the beginning of detoxification, and after eight weeks of abstinence. This is the first such study performed in patients with alcohol and drug dependence.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>BDV CIC positivity was detected in 36.59% of addicted patients on day 0 and in 42.86% on day 56. The control group was 37.3% positive. However, we did not detect higher BDV CIC positivity in addicted patients in comparison with blood donors (p = 0.179). The significantly higher level of BDV CIC was associated with lower levels of GGT (gamma glutamyl transferase) (p = 0.027) and approached statistical significance with the lower age of addicted patients (p = 0.064). We did not find any association between BDV CIC positivity and other anamnestic and demographic characteristics.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In our study addicted patients did not have significantly higher levels of BDV CIC than the control group. The highest levels of BDV CIC were detected in patients with lower levels of GGT and a lower age.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>This study was approved by the ethical committee of the University Hospital Medical Faculty of Charles University in Pilsen, Czech Republic (registration number 303/2001).</p

Short Communication - Antimicrobial susceptibility of some urinary tract clinical isolates to commonly used antibiotics

The antimicrobial susceptibility of urinary tract isolates from pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in various hospitals within Kaduna, Nigeria, was carried out using the disc diffusion method. The patterns of inhibition varied with the concentration of the antibiotic used. Escherichia coli was the most sensitive to ciprofloxacillin (33 mm/5 μg ml-1) and pefloxacin (15 mm/10μ g ml-1). It was resistant to minocycline, nalidixic acid, cefuroxine and cotrimoxazole. Klebsiella spp., Proteus spp. and Staphylococcus spp. were moderately sensitive to ciprofloxacillin (14, 15 and 18 mm/5 μg ml-1) respectively. All the organisms were resistant to minocycline and cefuroxine. Ciprofloxacillin appeared to be the drug of choice for the treatment of urinary tract infection

Nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by primary school pupils in a University Staff School, Zaria, Nigeria

Strains of Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from the anterior nares of healthy pupils and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns were determined. 116 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (100%) were biochemically characterized as coagulase positive S. aureus. Susceptibility profile of the isolates revealed that 15(14.85%) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 84(83.16%) methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) were recovered. Lower percentages of resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus to mupirocin (11.88%) and ciprofloxacin (0.99%) were observed. Vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) (2.97%) with MIC values between 8-16 µg/ml were recorded. The public health significance of community-acquired methicillin–resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CAMRSA) in healthy human subjects is highlighted. International Journal of Biological & Chemical Sciences Vol. 1 (1) 2007: pp. 71-7

Short Communication: Production of extended spectrum beta-lactamases of urinary isolates of Escherichia coli and Klesiella pneumoniae in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria.

Multidrug resistant strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli constitute a problem in many hospitals. The antibiotic susceptibility profile and the Production of Extended Spetrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) of the strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli were assessed by the Kirby-Bauer technique and the modified disc diffusion technique respectively. Out of a total of 65 urinary specimens submitted to the Medical Microbiology laboratory at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika-Zaria, Nigeria, 50 isolates consisting of 33 (66%) Escherichia coli and 17 (34%) strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae were recovered from patients suspected to have Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs). Of these 50 isolates, 15(30%) were ESBL producers, made up of 6/17 (35.3%) ESBL-positive Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates and 9/33 (27.3%) ESBL-positive E. coli isolates. The susceptibility of the ESBL-positive Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and amikacin were 64.7%, 82.4% and 82.4% respectively, while the susceptibility of the ESBL-positive E. coli isolates were: ciprofloxacin (57.6%), ofloxacin (48.5%) and amikacin (84.8%). All (100%) of the ESBL-positive E. coli isolates and 3/6 (50%) of the ESBL-positive Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates had Multiple Antibiotic Resistance (MAR) index of greater than 0.3 which is an indication that they originated from an environment where antibiotics are frequently used. It is important to determine the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility of ESBL-producing clinical isolates as a guide to clinicians for the chemotherapy and there should be effective infection control policies to curb their spread in the hospital setting.International Journal of Biological & Chemical Sciences Vol. 1 (2) 2007: pp. 181-18