Patterns of Multidrug Bacterial Clinical Isolates and Cytokine Responses to Antibiotic Misuse in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogens can pose significant health-care challenges by rendering most antimicrobials ineffective. Hence the objective of this paper was to evaluate the patterns of multidrug bacterial clinical isolates and cytokine responses to antibiotic misuse in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria using appropriate standard methods. Also, the levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (pg/ml), interferon-gamma (pg/ml), and interleukin-10 (pg/ml) in post-surgical patients and control subjects were evaluated using enzyme link immunosorbent assay method.The prevalence of wound infection among study participants was (20%). Pseudomonas aeruginosa (40%) and Escherichia coli (19%) were most likely to be associated with wound infection. The MDR bacterial isolates shows highest resistance to Cefixime (80%) and Ciprofloxacin (80%) in the surgical wound infection patients. The levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interferon-gamma and interleukin-10were significantly higher in thepost-surgical wound infection patient as compared with the control group (p<0.002). MDR-bacterial infections are more virulent, and the observed excessive inflammatory response may impede infection resolution, which may help to explain in part, the poor treatment outcome in patients with MDR infections, even after prompt antibiotic treatment

CYTOKINES CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH MENSTRUAL CYCLE IN HIV INFECTED FEMALES AT NAUTH, NNEWI, SOUTH-EAST NIGERIA

Background: HIV infection is characterized by hormonal and immunological changes which may grossly affect the reproductive cycle in affected women. Aim: To evaluate Cytokine changes in HIV infected women during menstrual cycle. Materials and methods: A total of 90 women aged between 15 and 45 years were randomly recruited for the study. 30 of the women were normal healthy seronegative for HIV and served as control. Blood samples were collected under sterile conditions during the follicular and luteal phases of menstrual cycle after due informed consent had been obtained and the samples were analyzed for Cytokines (IL-8, IL-6, IL-4, and TNFα) using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method. Results: The Cytokines (IL-8, IL-6, IL-4 and TNFα) were significantly higher at both phases of menstrual cycle in HIV infected women when compared with the Control (P&lt;0.05). Interpretation and Conclusion: The study showed significant cytokine changes with some degree of inflammatory reactions in HIV infected women. The implication of these changes within reproductive life of the women is discussed

Modulation of the immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis during malaria/M. tuberculosis co-infection

Tuberculosis (TB) causes significant morbidity and mortality on a global scale. The African region has 24% of the world's TB cases. TB overlaps with other infectious diseases such as malaria and HIV, which are also highly prevalent in the African region. TB is a leading cause of death among HIV-positive patients and co-infection with HIV and TB has been described as a syndemic. In view of the overlapping epidemiology of these diseases, it is important to understand the dynamics of the immune response to TB in the context of co-infection. We investigated the cytokine response to purified protein derivative (PPD) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from TB patients co-infected with HIV or malaria and compared it to that of malaria- and HIV-free TB patients. A total of 231 subjects were recruited for this study and classified into six groups; untreated TB-positive, TB positive subjects on TB drugs, TB- and HIV-positive, TB- and malaria-positive, latent TB and apparently healthy control subjects. Our results demonstrate maintenance of interferon (IFN)-γ production in HIV and malaria co-infected TB patients in spite of lower CD4 counts in the HIV-infected cohort. Malaria co-infection caused an increase in the production of the T helper type 2 (Th2)-associated cytokine interleukin (IL)-4 and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in PPD-stimulated cultures. These results suggest that malaria co-infection diverts immune response against M. tuberculosis towards a Th-2/anti-inflammatory response which might have important consequences for disease progression