FUNGAL CONTAMINANTS ASSOCIATED WITH SOME FOOD STUFF IN OWERRI, SOUTHEAST, NIGERIA

This study aimed at isolating and identifying fungal contaminants of some selected food items (rice, maize, beans, groundnut, and peanut) in Owerri, Imo State Nigeria. An oral ethical approval was obtained from the Market Master before sample collection. Different fungal contaminants were isolated from all the selected raw and boiled food items that were directly seeded unto Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA) supplemented with chloramphenicol, incubated at room temperature for 7 days, and were checked for growth daily. From the results obtained, a total of six (6) fungi were isolated and identified from all the samples cultured. The total of each mycotoxin-producing fungi isolated is Aspergillus spp. 8 (29.6%), Penicillium spp. 5 (18.5%), Mucor spp. 5 (18.5%), Rhizopus spp. 5 (18.5%), Geotrichum spp. 3 (11.1%) and Botrytis spp.1 (3.7%). Out of all the fungal isolates, a frequency of 3.3 (55.6%) was identified from the raw food samples and 2.7 (44.4%) from the boiled samples. The slight dissimilarity seen between the raw and boiled food fungal isolates is a result of the denaturation of the nutrient value of the grains during boiling and the ability of the fungal spores (that are thermoduric and heat-stable) to form a biofilm that can resist deactivation

Impact of repeated NeemAzal (R)-treated blood meals on the fitness of Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes

Herbal remedies are widely used in many malaria endemic countries to treat patients, in particular in the absence of anti-malarial drugs and in some settings to prevent the disease. Herbal medicines may be specifically designed for prophylaxis and/or for blocking malaria transmission to benefit both, the individual consumer and the community at large. Neem represents a good candidate for this purpose due to its inhibitory effects on the parasite stages that cause the clinical manifestations of malaria and on those responsible for infection in the vector. Furthermore, neem secondary metabolites have been shown to interfere with various physiological processes in insect vectors. This study was undertaken to assess the impact of the standardised neem extract NeemAzal on the fitness of the malaria vector Anopheles stephensi following repeated exposure to the product through consecutive blood meals on treated mice