Antioxidant properties of Ximenia americana

Ximenia americana, a medicinal plant, was evaluated for free radical scavenging and antioxidant activity. The extracts from the stem bark was obtained using methanol. The methanol portion was again fractionated into flavonoid and saponnin portions. The antioxidant activity of the portions was assessed by the 2, 2 diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The flavonoid portion revealed a significant (P < 0.05) antioxidant activity with the Rc50 value of 8. The study reveals that X. americana could be used as a potential antioxidant.Key words: Ximenia americana, flavonoid, antioxidant activity

Effect of fraction iv portion of Ximenia americana stem bark on Trypanosoma congolense - induced serum enzymes changes in rats

The current study investigates the effect of fraction IV portion of Ximenia americana stem bark on Trypanosoma congolense induced serum enzymes changes in rats. Following infection with trypanosomes, the rats were monitored for levels of some serum enzymes. The results revealed that there was significant (P<0.05) elevation of serum enzymes Aspartate AminoTransferase (AST), Alanine AminoTransferase (ALT), Alkaline Phosphatase (AP), Gamma GlutamylTransferase (GGT) and Creatine Kinase (CK) in the infected animals. Treatment with 25 mg/Kg body weight fraction IV portion of Ximenia americana led to significant (P<0.05) reduction in levels of the enzymes. It is concluded that treatment with fraction IV portion of Ximenia americana was able to modulate the effect of trypanosomosis induced serum enzyme levels of the infected rats.Key words: Fraction IV, serum enzymes, Trypanosoma congolense, Ximenia american

Evaluation of antibacterial activities of graviola (Annona Muricata) leave and stem bark extracts against clinical isolates of Salmonella spp and Escherichia coli

Graviola (Annona muricata) Nigeria it is commonly called “Mama” in Hausa language is a tropical plant found in Nigeria in the Sudan- Guinea Savannah vegetation zone has been reported to be used in the treatment of various types of ailments. The present study investigated the antibacterial properties of the stem- bark and leave extracts of the plant against clinical isolates of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp using agar cup method. Results showed that petroleum ether extract of stem bark and leave had (> 12mm) growth inhibition against E.coli and Salmonella spp. at 50-100 mg/ml concentrations compared to the methanol and aqueous extracts which did not inhibit growth. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of petroleum ether extract of stem bark and leave was 12.5 mg/ml. It therefore showed that petroleum ether of Annona muricata had antibacterial activities against E.coli and Salmonella spp. thereby justifying its usage ethnopharmacologically in the treatment of infections.Key words: Annona muricata, E.coli, Salmonella spp, Growth inhibitio

Effect of topical application of neem seed (Azadiracta indica) extract on sheep infested with Amblyomma variegatum

The effect of topical application of neem seed extract on sheep infested with tick Ablyomma variegatum was examined for acaricidal and repellant activity. The seed extract showed acaricidal activity at 5.0, 2.5and 1.0% concentration in vitro. The extract had no acaricidal activity in vivo. However, it showed a repellant activity against ticks at 5.0 and 2.5% concentration. The activity of the extract seems to be concentration dependent. The extract appears to have some potentials as a repellant or antifeedant and could provide an inexpensive integrated pest management resource for farmers

Comparative haematological changes in experimentally infected Savannah brown goats with Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma vivax

A comparative study of haematological changes in Savannah brown goats experimentally infected with Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma vivax was carried out using thirty (30) goats aged between 20 and 48 months and average weight of 13.00 kg. The parameters determined before and after infection included parasitemia, rectal temperature, weight, PCV, and total plasma protein. The mean weight, rectal temperature, parasitemia, packed cell volume, total plasma protein of T. brucei infected goats were 11.88 kg, 39.18°C, 2.40, 22.1% and 11.88 g/dl, respectively, while T. vivax infected goats were 12.34 kg, 39.18°C, 2.20, 23.2% and 12.34 g/dl, respectively. The values of the same parameters in the controlwere 14.89 kg, 38.70°C, 25.8% and 7.06 g/dl, respectively. The parasites significantly (P < 0.05) affected the haematological parameters of the animals. T. brucei infection in the goats was more severe than theT. vivax infection

Anthroponotic transmission of Cryptosporidium parvum predominates in countries with poorer sanitation - a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Globally cryptosporidiosis is one of the commonest causes of mortality in children under 24 months old and may be associated with important longterm health effects. Whilst most strains of Cryptosporidium parvum are zoonotic, C. parvum IIc is almost certainly anthroponotic. The global distribution of this potentially important emerging infection is not clear. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of papers identifying the subtype distribution of C. parvum infections globally. We searched PubMed and Scopus using the following key terms Cryptospor* AND parvum AND (genotyp* OR subtyp* OR gp60). Studies were eligible for inclusion if they had found C. parvum within their human study population and had subtyped some or all of these samples using standard gp60 subtyping. Pooled analyses of the proportion of strains being of the IIc subtype were determined using StatsDirect. Meta-regression analyses were run to determine any association between the relative prevalence of IIc and Gross Domestic Product, proportion of the population with access to improved drinking water and improved sanitation. Results: From an initial 843 studies, 85 were included in further analysis. Cryptosporidium parvum IIc was found in 43 of these 85 studies. Across all studies the pooled estimate of relative prevalence of IIc was 19.0% (95% CI: 12.9–25.9%), but there was substantial heterogeneity. In a meta-regression analysis, the relative proportion of all C. parvum infections being IIc decreased as the percentage of the population with access to improved sanitation increased and was some 3.4 times higher in those studies focussing on HIV-positive indivduals. Conclusions: The anthroponotic C. parvum IIc predominates primarily in lower-income countries with poor sanitation and in HIV-positive individuals. Given the apparent enhanced post-infectious virulence of the other main anthroponotic species of Cryptosporidium (C. hominis), it is important to learn about the impact of this subtype on human health

Anthroponotic transmission of Cryptosporidium parvum predominates in countries with poorer sanitation - a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Globally cryptosporidiosis is one of the commonest causes of mortality in children under 24 months old and may be associated with important longterm health effects. Whilst most strains of Cryptosporidium parvum are zoonotic, C. parvum IIc is almost certainly anthroponotic. The global distribution of this potentially important emerging infection is not clear. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of papers identifying the subtype distribution of C. parvum infections globally. We searched PubMed and Scopus using the following key terms Cryptospor* AND parvum AND (genotyp* OR subtyp* OR gp60). Studies were eligible for inclusion if they had found C. parvum within their human study population and had subtyped some or all of these samples using standard gp60 subtyping. Pooled analyses of the proportion of strains being of the IIc subtype were determined using StatsDirect. Meta-regression analyses were run to determine any association between the relative prevalence of IIc and Gross Domestic Product, proportion of the population with access to improved drinking water and improved sanitation. Results: From an initial 843 studies, 85 were included in further analysis. Cryptosporidium parvum IIc was found in 43 of these 85 studies. Across all studies the pooled estimate of relative prevalence of IIc was 19.0% (95% CI: 12.9–25.9%), but there was substantial heterogeneity. In a meta-regression analysis, the relative proportion of all C. parvum infections being IIc decreased as the percentage of the population with access to improved sanitation increased and was some 3.4 times higher in those studies focussing on HIV-positive indivduals. Conclusions: The anthroponotic C. parvum IIc predominates primarily in lower-income countries with poor sanitation and in HIV-positive individuals. Given the apparent enhanced post-infectious virulence of the other main anthroponotic species of Cryptosporidium (C. hominis), it is important to learn about the impact of this subtype on human health

Acute toxicity studies of aqueous stem bark extract of Ximenia americana

Increasing interest in medicinal plants has increased scientific scrutiny of their therapeutic potentials and safety thereby providing physicians with data to help patients make wise decision on their usage.The stem bark of Ximenia americana was evaluated for its phytochemical constituents and acute toxicity effect on thirty Swiss albino mice. The extracts were administered intraperitoneally/orally atdoses of 10, 100, and 1000 mg/kg body weight. The results revealed no death with doses up to 5000 mg/kg body weight. However, the initial reactions included excitement, restlessness, lack of appetiteand later reduced activity during the first 24 h of extract administration. The symptoms were dose dependent with signs noticeable with increasing dosage. Post mortem, hematological and histopathological examination did not show any significant (