Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern and Beta-lactamase Production in Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus from Recurrent Furunculosis in Southwestern, Nigeria

Furuculosis is a skin infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus. It is characterised by honey crusted ‘cropped’ latent boil with potential to recur in a susceptible host. Isolates of S.aureus obtained from both hospitalised and non-hospitalised patients with furuncles in Southwest, Nigeria were characterised in relation to their resistance to commonly used antimicrobial agents. Exudates of ‘cropped-boils’ from one hundred and forty (140) individuals consisting of forty (40) hospitalised and one hundred (100) non-hospitalised cases of recurrent furunculosis were screened for S. aureus. One hundred and two (102) were positive for the organism by conventional biochemical tests. Detection of β-Iactamase was determined by cell-suspension iodometric method. Of the 102 isolates, 30(29.4%) strains possessed β-lactamase and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of selected antibiotics was in the range of 3.95– 250μg/ml. The multiple drug resistance as evident in high MICs of the antibiotics tested could probably be due to abuse/misuse of antibiotics resulting in recurrence of furuncles in the patients

The Attitude of Older Patients to Deprescribing Polypharmacy in Ogun State, Nigeria

Background: Deprescribing has been suggested as a beneficial intervention to reduce polypharmacy among older patients. However, little is known about the willingness to accept this intervention among patients in resource-limited settings. Objective: To evaluate the attitudes of older patients to deprescribing polypharmacy. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was carried out among consecutively selected ambulatory patients aged ≥65 years who were on ≥5 chronic medications in two secondary healthcare facilities in Ogun State, southwest Nigeria. The 22-item revised Patients Attitude Towards Deprescribing questionnaire was used to evaluate the participants' attitudes toward deprescribing, while another ten-question tool explored participants' sociodemographic and clinical data. Logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with willingness to deprescribe among the participants using the global question, "If my doctor said it was possible, I would be willing to stop one or more of my regular medicines”. Results: Out of the 341 participants, the majority were females (60.7%), and 90.0% were on 5-7 medications. About three-quarters (71.8%) strongly agreed or agreed that they would be willing “to stop one or more of their medicines if the doctor said it was possible”. Female gender and caregivers’ involvement in medication management were significantly associated with participants' willingness to accept deprescribing (p = 0.07 and p = 0.01). Conclusions: Most participants were willing to accept the deprescribing of their medications. Female gender and caregivers’ involvement in medication management were predictive factors for the participants' willingness to accept deprescribing

Assessment of the Antimicrobial Activity of Lactic Acid Bacteria from Sorghum Slurry on Clinical Strains of Diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli

Background: Sorghum is a nutrient-rich grain ground into flour to make different types of delicacies, and it has been reported to possess probiotic potentials. Objective: To assess the antimicrobial activity of Lactobacillus plantarum obtained from sorghum slurry on strains of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli from cases of diarrhoea. Methods: A total of 36 samples of wet-milled sorghum slurry and liquor pH were obtained and cultured on MRSA and were, after that, biochemically characterized for Lactobacillus plantarum, which was tested by agar well diffusion against 15 strains of Escherichia coli isolated from cases of diarrhoea. Results: Microbiological analysis of the 36 samples of sorghum explored produced 15 isolates of Lactobacillus plantarum. A progressive increase in acidity in relation to an increase in the period of fermentation was observed. Ninety-five per cent of the Escherichia coli strains showed resistance against some standard antibiotics. At the same time, the isolates of Lactobacillus plantarum obtained inhibited isolates of diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli tested, showing potential usefulness of the sorghum slurry as a probiotic. Conclusion: The inhibitory activity of Lactobacillus plantarum isolated from sorghum slurry showed antimicrobial potentials that could be used for therapeutic purposes in treating diarrhoea caused by   Escherichia coli, pending further investigation