Phenotypic Determination and Antimicrobial Resistance Profile of Extended Spectrum Beta-lactamases in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in Accra, Ghana

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) are plasmid-mediated beta lactamases commonly found in the Enterobacteriaceae that are capable of hydrolysing ?-lactams except carbapenems and cephamycins. ESBLs confer resistance to several non-ß-lactam antibiotics. ESBL-producing organisms appear susceptible to cephalosporins in vitro using conventional breakpoints but ineffective in vivo. This work sought to determine the occurrence of ESBL in E. coli and K. pneumoniae and their antibiotic resistance profile. Four hundred K. pneumoniae and E. coli non-duplicate isolates were collected at the Central Laboratory of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and Advent Clinical Laboratories. They were definitively identified and their minimum inhibition concentration and antibiotic sensitivity testing for 17 antibiotics were determined using Vitek 2 Compact System (bioMérieux, Marcy I’Etoile, France).  The isolates were confirmed as ESBL-producing strains using the Combination Disk Synergy Method. The results indicated that 202 (50.5%) of the bacterial isolates were ESBL-producing phenotypes with high resistant to gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole indicating 82.2%, 79.7%, 70.8% and 97% resistant rates respectively. imipenem and amikacin were the antibiotics of choice with 99% and 94.1% susceptibility rates (MIC90 of ?1µg/ml and 4µg/ml respectively). It is imperative to routinely detect ESBL-phenotypes in health facilities, implement appropriate antibiotic administration policy and infection control measures in the hospitals.   Keywords: Extended Spectrum Beta-lactamase, Antimicrobial Resistance, ?-lactams, K. pneumoniae, E. col

Farmers’ Comparative Use Assessment Of Wind And Electric Pump For Irrigation

Keta District provides one of the best wind regimes in Ghana and farming is the main occupation of most people in the communities of the district, notably the anloga community. A small size wind pump (1.6m rotor diameter) is currently in operation in Anloga in the Keta District on pilot bases to verify its cost effectiveness compared with the hydro electric power technology. The high electricity tariff paid every month for power consumption deterred majority of the farmers using hydro electricity technology for pumping. A survey conducted revealed that out of about 50 farmers, only 29% engaged in the use of electric power for pumping whilst 69% still use the manual method. 2% of the farmers are using wind energy technology on pilot bases. Farmers in these coastal communities may have engaged in the use of wind energy for water pumping but for its high initial cost

Uporedne performanse pumpi za navodnjavanje na električni i vetro pogon

Wind energy technology may turn out to be the best alternative compared to the use of hydro electric power for pumping water for irrigation in certain parts of Ghana during the dry season. This paper focuses on evaluating the performance of wind and electric pump through the mounting of an experiment in order to do a comparative evaluation of the investment cost of running the two energy-based pumping systems in the Keta District which provides one of the best wind regimes in Ghana. Farmers in these coastal communities may have engaged in the use of wind energy for water pumping but for its high initial cost. Despite the high initial cost farmers could form cooperative societies in order to run a wind energy pumping system. The high electricity tariff paid every month for power consumption deters majority of the farmers using hydro electricity technology for pumping. A total investment cost of ¢4095.80 per hectare was incurred by farmers using the electric power whilst ¢929.80 per hectare by those using the wind power technology for every farming season. A difference of ¢3166.00 could be saved for other uses by farmers practicing the wind energy technology.Tehnologija energije vetra može da postane najbolja alternativa hidro električnom pogonu pumpi za navodnjavanje određenih delova Gane tokom sušne sezone. Ovaj rad se bavi ocenom performansi pumpi sa vetro i električnim pogonom kroz ogled u kome se uporedno ispituju investicioni troškovi rada pumpnih sistema sa ova dva pogona u oblasti Keta, koji ima najbolje režime vetra u Gani. Farmeri u ovim obalnim zajednicama su pokušali upotrebu vetro-pogona za vodene pumpe, ali sa velikim inicijalnim troškovima. Uprkos visokim troškovima, farmer mogu da osnuju kooperative da bi pokrenuli system pumpi sa vetro-pogonom. Visoka cena električne energije koju plaćaju svakog meseca odvraća većinu farmera od upotrebe hidro-električne tehnologije za pumpanje. Ukupna investicija kod farmera koji su koristili elektro pogon je iznosila ¢4095.80 po hektaru, dok je kod farmera koji su koristili vetro pogon u svakoj sezoni investicija iznosila ¢929.80 po hektaru. Razlika od ¢3166.00 se može uštedeti i upotrebiti za druge namene

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT FLOODING METHODS USED FOR RICE CULTIVATION AT THE STATE RICE FARM ''BOSHOD''

A field experiment was carried out at the State Rice Farm of Boshod in the Chimkent Region, the Republic of Kazakhstan, to compare and contrast the effects of four flooding methods on the production of the rice varietie