Antifungal susceptibility and test for cure of candida species among vulvovaginal candidiasis patients in a secondary care hospital, Nigeria

Background: Antimicrobial resistance among Candida species is an intense public health concern. The aim of the study was to determine the antifungal susceptibility pattern and test for cure of Candida species among women of child bearing age who visited the General Hospital Onitsha, Nigeria with symptoms suggestive of Vulvovaginal Candidiasis (VVC).Materials and Methods: Eight hundred and seventy six female patients participated in the study of which high vaginal swabs were collected and evaluated mycological by standard microbiological methods: microscopic examination and culture using sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA). Susceptibility of isolates to 4 antifungal agents was tested using agar dilution method. Clinicomycological evaluation was also performed among the patients.Result: Higher minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to azole antifungals was observed predominantly among non-albicans Candida species increasingly involved in VVC. The rate of mycological resolution was higher than symptomatic relief at 2 weeks after treatment with antifungal drug.Conclusion: Efficacious treatment of VVC requires an adequate knowledge of the causative agents and more importantly the antimicrobial to which they exhibit high susceptibility.Keywords: Vulvovaginal Candidiasis, Clinico- mycology, Antimicrobial resistance, Candida speciesSusceptibilite antifonique et test pour la cure d'especes de candida entre les patients de candidases vulvovaginales dans un hopital de soins secondaires, NigeriaContexte: La résistance aux antimicrobiens chez les espèces de Candida est un problème de santé publique intense. L'objectif de l'étude était de déterminer le schéma de susceptibilité aux antifongiques et le test de guérison des espèces de Candida parmi les femmes en âge de procréer qui ont visité l'hôpital général de Onitsha, au Nigeria, avec des symptômes suggérant une candidose vulvovaginale (VVC).Matériaux et méthodes: huit cent soixante-seize six patientes ont participé à l'étude des prélèvements vaginaux élevés collectés et évalués par mycologie par méthodes microbiologiques standard: examen microscopique et culture à l'aide de la gélose sabouraud dextrose (SDA). La susceptibilité des isolats à 4 agents antifongiques a été testée en utilisant une méthode de dilution en agar. Une évaluation clinico-mycologique a également été réalisée chez les patients.Résultat: une concentration minimale minimale d'inhibition (MIC) en anatoxines azoliques a été observée principalement chez les espèces non-albicans Candida de plus en plus impliquées dans VVC. Le taux de résolution mycologique était plus élevé que le soulagement symptomatique à 2 semaines après le traitement par un médicament antifongique.Conclusion: Un traitement efficace de la VVC nécessite une connaissance adéquate des agents causaux et, plus important encore, des antimicrobiens auxquels ils présentent une forte susceptibilité.Mots-clés: Candidiase Vulvovaginale, Clinico-mycologie, Résistance Antimicrobienne, Espèces Candid

Impact of Different Trace Elements on the Growth and Proteome of Two Strains of Granulicella, Class “Acidobacteriia”

Acidobacteria represents one of the most dominant bacterial groups across diverse ecosystems. However, insight into their ecology and physiology has been hampered by difficulties in cultivating members of this phylum. Previous cultivation efforts have suggested an important role of trace elements for the proliferation of Acidobacteria, however, the impact of these metals on their growth and metabolism is not known. In order to gain insight into this relationship, we evaluated the effect of trace element solution SL10 on the growth of two strains (5B5 and WH15) of Acidobacteria belonging to the genus Granulicella and studied the proteomic responses to manganese (Mn). Granulicella species had highest growth with the addition of Mn, as well as higher tolerance to this metal compared to seven other metal salts. Variations in tolerance to metal salt concentrations suggests that Granulicella sp. strains possess different mechanisms to deal with metal ion homeostasis and stress. Furthermore, Granulicella sp. 5B5 might be more adapted to survive in an environment with higher concentration of several metal ions when compared to Granulicella sp. WH15. The proteomic profiles of both strains indicated that Mn was more important in enhancing enzymatic activity than to protein expression regulation. In the genomic analyses, we did not find the most common transcriptional regulation of Mn homeostasis, but we found candidate transporters that could be potentially involved in Mn homeostasis for Granulicella species. The presence of such transporters might be involved in tolerance to higher Mn concentrations, improving the adaptability of bacteria to metal enriched environments, such as the decaying wood-rich Mn environment from which these two Granulicella strains were isolated

Dyslipidemias in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in Nnewi South-East Nigeria

Background: Dyslipidemia has been noted to play an integral role in the pathogenesis and progression of micro and macrovascular complications in diabetes mellitus patients. The complications exemplified by renal vascular and cardiovascular disease cause the most morbidity and mortality in this group of patients. Objective: This study is aimed at understanding the pattern of dyslipidemia among type 2 diabetic patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 108 consenting adult type 2 diabetic patients seen in the medical unit of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi were evaluated in this crosssectional study. Their fasting lipid profile, fasting blood glucose, weight, height and blood pressure were evaluated. Result: The prevalence of dyslipidemia (at least one abnormal lipid profile) was 90.7%. The 24.1% had single dyslipidemia while 66.6% had combined dyslipidemia. Reduced HDL constituted the highest single abnormality (62%) followed by hypertriglyceridemia (56.5%), hypercholesterolemia (53.7%) and high LDL in (44.4%). The duration of DM was not significantly associated with dyslipidemia (P >0.05). Conclusion: Dyslipidemia is highly prevalent among type 2 diabetic patients in Nigeria with the majority of the patients having combined dyslipidemia. We recommend that aggressive treatment of lipidemia and hyperglycemia can be instituted to reduce the risk of macro and microvascular complications

Dyslipidemias in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in Nnewi South-East Nigeria

Background: Dyslipidemia has been noted to play an integral role in the pathogenesis and progression of micro and macrovascular complications in diabetes mellitus patients. The complications exemplified by renal vascular and cardiovascular disease cause the most morbidity and mortality in this group of patients. Objective: This study is aimed at understanding the pattern of dyslipidemia among type 2 diabetic patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 108 consenting adult type 2 diabetic patients seen in the medical unit of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi were evaluated in this crosssectional study. Their fasting lipid profile, fasting blood glucose, weight, height and blood pressure were evaluated. Result: The prevalence of dyslipidemia (at least one abnormal lipid profile) was 90.7%. The 24.1% had single dyslipidemia while 66.6% had combined dyslipidemia. Reduced HDL constituted the highest single abnormality (62%) followed by hypertriglyceridemia (56.5%), hypercholesterolemia (53.7%) and high LDL in (44.4%). The duration of DM was not significantly associated with dyslipidemia (P >0.05). Conclusion: Dyslipidemia is highly prevalent among type 2 diabetic patients in Nigeria with the majority of the patients having combined dyslipidemia. We recommend that aggressive treatment of lipidemia and hyperglycemia can be instituted to reduce the risk of macro and microvascular complications

Evaluation of blood pressure and indices of obesity in a typical rural community in eastern Nigeria

Aim: With increasing urbanization of lifestyle, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality have been on the increase in Africans. Studies on cardiovascular risk factors in rural communities in South East Nigeria are scarce. This study focused on hypertension and obesity in adult Nigerians dwelling in a rural setting in Eastern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A total of 218 participants from the rural community were recruited into the study. A questionnaire was used to assess prior knowledge of their weight and blood pressure status as well as drug history for those found to have hypertension. Each participant′s blood pressure was measured and any value ≥140/90 mmHg was regarded as high blood pressure (HBP). Their heights and weights were measured and their body mass indices (BMI) calculated using the standard formula of BMI = Weight in Kg/Height in m 2 ; BMI ≥30 Kg/m 2 was referred to as global obesity. Their waist circumferences (WC) were also measured and any value ≥102 cm for males and ≥88 cm for females was regarded as abdominal obesity. Results: The general prevalence of HBP in the rural community was 44.5%. The prevalence of HBP increased as age increased and awareness about HBP was low (15.2%). Females were more aware than the males. The prevalence of HBP was higher in males (49.3%) compared with their female counterparts (42.3%), whereas the females had a higher prevalence of all forms of obesity (abdominal: 36.2%, global: 14.8%) compared with the males (abdominal: 14.5%, global: 10.1%). Higher BMI was associated with higher systolic and diastolic BP values. Hypertensive participants had higher BMI and WC than those who had normal BP. Conclusion: The prevalence of both hypertension and obesity seems to be increasing in rural communities in Nigeria and thus, the available prevalence documented in previous studies for rural communities may no longer represent the current trend. Awareness of the participants about these major cardiovascular risk factors is still very low. Higher BMI was associated with higher values of both systolic and diastolic BP

Evaluation of blood pressure and indices of obesity in a typical rural community in eastern Nigeria

Aim: With increasing urbanization of lifestyle, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality have been on the increase in Africans. Studies on cardiovascular risk factors in rural communities in South East Nigeria are scarce. This study focused on hypertension and obesity in adult Nigerians dwelling in a rural setting in Eastern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A total of 218 participants from the rural community were recruited into the study. A questionnaire was used to assess prior knowledge of their weight and blood pressure status as well as drug history for those found to have hypertension. Each participant\u2032s blood pressure was measured and any value 65140/90 mmHg was regarded as high blood pressure (HBP). Their heights and weights were measured and their body mass indices (BMI) calculated using the standard formula of BMI = Weight in Kg/Height in m 2 ; BMI 6530 Kg/m 2 was referred to as global obesity. Their waist circumferences (WC) were also measured and any value 65102 cm for males and 6588 cm for females was regarded as abdominal obesity. Results: The general prevalence of HBP in the rural community was 44.5%. The prevalence of HBP increased as age increased and awareness about HBP was low (15.2%). Females were more aware than the males. The prevalence of HBP was higher in males (49.3%) compared with their female counterparts (42.3%), whereas the females had a higher prevalence of all forms of obesity (abdominal: 36.2%, global: 14.8%) compared with the males (abdominal: 14.5%, global: 10.1%). Higher BMI was associated with higher systolic and diastolic BP values. Hypertensive participants had higher BMI and WC than those who had normal BP. Conclusion: The prevalence of both hypertension and obesity seems to be increasing in rural communities in Nigeria and thus, the available prevalence documented in previous studies for rural communities may no longer represent the current trend. Awareness of the participants about these major cardiovascular risk factors is still very low. Higher BMI was associated with higher values of both systolic and diastolic BP