Health and safety conditions of building maintenance sites in Nigeria: Evaluating the post occupancy contaminations of timber buildings by microorganisms

This research assessed the safety of the environmental conditions of timber buildings as maintenance sites from cultivable microorganisms under various climatic conditions in Nigeria. Several site illnesses leading to poor work and reduced productivity on construction sites have been attributed to unidentified microorganisms or their metabolites. To identify the microorganisms, bulk samples were collected on timber buildings classified as maintenance sites over the country and then identify the microorganisms available using the cultivation technique. Eight hundred and fifty nutrient and Sabouraud dextrose agar dishes were prepared. The nutrient agar dishes were incubated for 24 h at 35°C whereas those of Sabouraud dextrose agar were incubated for 72 h at 30°C. Biochemical tests were used to classify the bacteria while fungi were identified via visual and microscopic observations. The sites were highly contaminated with Enterobacter agglomerons, Serratia liquefaciens, Enterobacter hafniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and other species of Enterobacter, Serratia, Klebsiela, Bacillus, and Micrococcus. And among fungi species were; Penicilium, Mucor, Geotrichum, Alternaria, Trichoderma, Rhizopus, Paecilomyces, Gliocladium, Aspergillus, Syncephalastrum, Acrosporium, Mycelia sterilia, Cladosporium, Trichothecium, Chrysonilia and Saccharomyces. Sixty four percent of construction workers experienced symptoms of sick building syndrome while on maintenance site. The most contaminated region is the rain forest

An approach to effective disinfection of salon items [clippers, combs and scissors]

Antibacterial susceptibility patterns of some bacteria isolated from selected barbing salons in parts of Northern Nigeria was studied for the purpose of developing a disinfectant system suitable for use in salons. The K-values for selected cells ranged from 0.0072 to 0.0399 (benzalkonium chloride), and from 0.0062 to 0.1338 (propylene glycol) as against a range of 0.0147 to 0.1343 when the two chemicals were combined. The observed D-value range of 64.5 to 99 (benzalkonium chloride), 31.5 to 105 (Propylene glycol) and 21 to 24 (admixture of the two chemicals) were exploited in the development of “SALONSEFE” – a salon disinfectant that was able to eliminate 105 cfu/ ml (of the most resistant bacterial isolated in these studies) completely in 60 seconds. Keywords: salonsafe, antibacterial, disinfectant, salon, K-value, D-value The East and Central African Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Vol. 7(3) 2004: 47-5

Serological Characterization and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Clinical Isolates of Salmonella from Patients Attending General Hospital, Funtua, Nigeria

Serological characterization and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of clinical isolates of Salmonella were carried out for a period of 8-months to study the most frequently encountered serovars in salmonellosis and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Two hundred and forty samples from both stool and blood specimens were collected from out patients attending General Hospital, Funtua, Katsina state of Nigeria. The samples were collected from patients diagnosed by clinicians of having either pyrexia, gastroenteritis or both. Samples were cultured, isolates identified and antibiotic susceptibility test was performed using standard procedures. The total number of 29(12.1%) of the 240 samples collected were identified as Salmonella strains. Out of the 29 isolates, 19(65.5%) were responsible for typhoidal salmonellosis while 10(34.5%) were responsible for non-typhoidal salmonellosis. Of the 29 cases of salmonellosis, 24(82.8%) were from children and 5(17.2.7%) from adults. However, the age of the patients have no significant relationship in both the typhoidal and non-typhoidal diseases, with their p values= 0.109, 0.784 > 0.05 respectively. S. typhi 16(55.2%) was the most frequently encountered, followed by S. enteritidis 7(24.1%) and 3(10.3%) each for S. paratyphi A and S. typhimurium. Of the total isolates, 26(89.7%) were found to be resistant to Ampicillin, 6(20.7%) resistant to Cefotaxime, 24(82.8%) resistant to Chloramphenicol, 9(31%) resistant to Co-trimoxazole and 2(6.9%) resistant to Nalidixic acid. However, resistance to Ofloxacin and Ciprofloxacin by the isolates were not observed. There was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) in antimicrobial resistance patterns exhibited among typhoidal and non-typhoidal Salmonellae. Therefore, Fluoroquinolones are recommended as the drug of choice for both typhoidal and non-typhoidal salmonellosis, although, caution should be taken by the clinicians in prescribing them in order to avoid resistance to these drugs

Antibacterial activity of some powdered herbal preparations marketed in Kaduna metropolis

The aim of the study was to investigate the phytochemical components and the antibacterial activities of some powdered herbal medicinal preparations sourced from identified herbal shops and retail outlets in different parts of Kaduna metropolis. Extracts obtained from the herbal preparations were screened for the presence of secondary metabolites using established procedures. Also, antibacterial activities of the extracts were evaluated. Carbohydrates and tannins were identified in 105 (70%) and 101 (67.3%) of the samples respectively. Alkaloids were found in 97 (64.7%); saponins were detected in 91 (60.7%), while anthraquinones, flavonoids and cardiac glycosides were identified in 82 (54.7%), 80 (53.3%) and 60 (40%) of the herbal preparations respectively. All the methanolic extracts had inhibitory activities on the test bacterial isolates at various minimum inhibitory concentrations: 81 (54%) had inhibitory effects on Staphylococcus aureus, 74 (49.3%) on Escherichia coli, 74 (49.3%) on Salmonella typhi and 63 (42%) on Shigella spp. The uses of these products in herbal medicine are justified. However, further works are needed to identify the chemical nature of the active substances as well as their modes of actions on the bacterial cells and their roles in disease curing. Keywords: Herbal, medicinal, phytochemical, antibacteria

Prevalence of Escherichia coli some public water sources in Gusau Municipal, North Western Nigeria

This study investigated the presence of Escherichia coli from some public water sources in Gusau municipal, north- western Nigeria. This was done by determining the total coliform counts and the presence of Escherichia coli and its antibiotic susceptibility profile. A total of 180 well 60 tap and 60 packaged water samples were obtained from Gusau municipal on weekly basis over a period of seven month (August, 2006-Feb, 2007) covering part of rainy and dry seasons. Standard procedures were used for the identification of Escherichia coli and for estimating total coliform counts. All samples had coliform counts higher than the international standard recommended by the World Health Organization. Results of biochemical analysis of the samples showed that out of 63 confirmed Escherichia coli isolated, 41 (45.5%) were from well water, tap water had 14 (23.3%) while packaged water had 8(13.3%).The susceptibility profile of the isolates to nine antimicrobial agents indicated that majority of the isolates were highly susceptible to Chloramphenicol, Gentamycin, Perrfloxacin, Tarivid, Augmentin, Streptomycin, Sparfloxacin, and Ciprofloxacin, moderate susceptibility to Septrin and resistant to Amoxacilin were observed. None of the water samples met the WHO standards for drinking water and thus pose a serious health risk to its consumers and users if not properly treated. Key words: Bacteriological quality, Escherichia coli, Prevalence, susceptibility profile, public water sources, Gusau

Human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) genetic diversity and prevalence of antiretroviral drug resistance mutations in treatment-naïve adults in Jos, North Central Nigeria

The presence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type-1 diversity has an impact on vaccine efficacy and drug resistance. It is important to know the circulating genetic variants and associated drug-resistance mutations in the context of scale up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Nigeria. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic diversity of HIV-1 and the prevalence of antiretroviral (ARV) drug resistance mutations among antiretroviral treatment-naïve HIV-1 infected patients in Jos, North Central Nigeria. Plasma samples were collected from 105 ARV drug-naïve patients enrolled for HIV care at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) HIV Treatment Center between October 2010 and April 2011. One hundred (100) samples were successfully amplified. Viral subtyping was done using REGA subtyping tool and by phylogenetic analysis using PAUP software. The drug resistance mutations were determined using the Stanford University HIVdb sequence interpretation algorithm. HIV-1 subtypes identified were; CRF02_AG (48.0%), G (41.0%), CRF06_cpx (6.0%) and A1 (5.0%). 8% of the patients’ isolates had at least one major resistance mutation in the RT gene: Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors: M41L (1%), K65KR (1%), M184IM (1%), M184V (2%) and T215ADNT (1%), non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors: K103N (2%), K101E (1%), G190A (1%), P225HP (1%), Y181I (1%), Y188L (1%), and Y181C (1%). Among antiretroviral (ARV) naïve patients in Jos, North Central Nigeria, the common HIV-1 subtypes was CRF_02 and G. And the prevalence of drug resistance mutations was found to be high (8%). Further study and national surveillance will be critically important to understand the clinical impact of transmitted resistance mutations on ART naïve individuals in resource limited settings.Keywords: HIV-1 subtypes, antiretroviral (ARV), treatment-naïve, drug-resistance, mutation, accessory and polymorphisms, NigeriaAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(17), pp. 2279-228

Mupirocin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Mupirocin is widely used for nasal decolonization of Staphylococcus aureus to prevent subsequent staphylococcal infection in patients and healthcare personnel. However, the prolonged and unrestricted use has led to the emergence of mupirocin-resistant (mupR) S. aureus. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the prevalence, phenotypic and molecular characteristics, and geographic spread of mupR S. aureus in Africa. Methods We examined five electronic databases (EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, ISI Web of Science, MEDLINE, and Scopus) for relevant English articles on screening for mupR S. aureus from various samples in Africa. In addition, we performed random effects meta-analysis of proportions to determine the pooled prevalence of mupR S. aureus in Africa. The search was conducted until 3 August 2016. Results We identified 43 eligible studies of which 11 (26%) were obtained only through Google Scholar. Most of the eligible studies (28/43; 65%) were conducted in Nigeria (10/43; 23%), Egypt (7/43; 16%), South Africa (6/43; 14%) and Tunisia (5/43; 12%). Overall, screening for mupR S. aureus was described in only 12 of 54 (22%) African countries. The disk diffusion method was the widely used technique (67%; 29/43) for the detection of mupR S. aureus in Africa. The mupA-positive S. aureus isolates were identified in five studies conducted in Egypt (n = 2), South Africa (n = 2), and Nigeria (n = 1). Low-level resistance (LmupR) and high-level resistance (HmupR) were both reported in six human studies from South Africa (n = 3), Egypt (n = 2) and Libya (n = 1). Data on mupR-MRSA was available in 11 studies from five countries, including Egypt, Ghana, Libya, Nigeria and South Africa. The pooled prevalence (based on 11 human studies) of mupR S. aureus in Africa was 14% (95% CI =6.8 to 23.2%). The proportion of mupA-positive S. aureus in Africa ranged between 0.5 and 8%. Furthermore, the frequency of S. aureus isolates that exhibited LmupR, HmupR and mupR-MRSA in Africa were 4 and 47%, 0.5 and 38%, 5 and 50%, respectively. Conclusions The prevalence of mupR S. aureus in Africa (14%) is worrisome and there is a need for data on administration and use of mupirocin. The disk diffusion method which is widely utilized in Africa could be an important method for the screening and identification of mupR S. aureus. Moreover, we advocate for surveillance studies with appropriate guidelines for screening mupR S. aureus in Africa

Antibiotic susceptibility studies on some enteropathogenic bacteria isolated from public water supplies in Gusau Municipal, Zamfara State.

Antibiotic susceptibility profiles of some enteropathogenic bacteria isolated frompublic drinking water supplies in Gusau municipal, Zamfara State was studied. A total of 180 well water, 60 tap water and 60 packaged water samples were screened for selected enteropathogenic bacteria including: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp, Salmonella spp, Shigella spp and Vibrio spp using standard procedures. Well water sources were much contaminated than the other sources. Resistances to amoxicillinwere observed in E. coli isolates, while Salmonella isolates were resistant to septrin and perfloxacin. Adequate treatments of all water sources for human consumption, public health education and appropriate use of antibiotics are highly recommended