Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis Surveillance in Nigeria From 2010 to 2016, Prior to and During the Phased Introduction of the 10-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine.

BACKGROUND: Historically, Nigeria has experienced large bacterial meningitis outbreaks with high mortality in children. Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus), and Haemophilus influenzae are major causes of this invasive disease. In collaboration with the World Health Organization, we conducted longitudinal surveillance in sentinel hospitals within Nigeria to establish the burden of pediatric bacterial meningitis (PBM). METHODS: From 2010 to 2016, cerebrospinal fluid was collected from children <5 years of age, admitted to 5 sentinel hospitals in 5 Nigerian states. Microbiological and latex agglutination techniques were performed to detect the presence of pneumococcus, meningococcus, and H. influenzae. Species-specific polymerase chain reaction and serotyping/grouping were conducted to determine specific causative agents of PBM. RESULTS: A total of 5134 children with suspected meningitis were enrolled at the participating hospitals; of these 153 (2.9%) were confirmed PBM cases. The mortality rate for those infected was 15.0% (23/153). The dominant pathogen was pneumococcus (46.4%: 71/153) followed by meningococcus (34.6%: 53/153) and H. influenzae (19.0%: 29/153). Nearly half the pneumococcal meningitis cases successfully serotyped (46.4%: 13/28) were caused by serotypes that are included in the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. The most prevalent meningococcal and H. influenzae strains were serogroup W and serotype b, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Vaccine-type bacterial meningitis continues to be common among children <5 years in Nigeria. Challenges with vaccine introduction and coverage may explain some of these finding. Continued surveillance is needed to determine the distribution of serotypes/groups of meningeal pathogens across Nigeria and help inform and sustain vaccination policies in the country

Some engineering properties and nutrient composition of selected pelletized fish feed in Nigeria

This research work is aimed to study the engineering properties (Physical, Thermal and Mechanical), and nutritional qualities of selected pelletized fish feed in Nigeria. This is to provide a database of engineering properties of fish feed pellets in Nigeria, which can be required for further handling and processing operations. Three locally produced feeds in Nigeria (Kwara P1, Ondo P2, and Edo P3) were selected. The engineering properties analysed include unit density, bulk density, expansion ratio, colour, sinking velocity, water stability, water absorption index, water solubility index, pellet durability index, thermal conductivity, resistivity and diffusivity. The extrudates and pellets were subjected to nutritional composition analyses, which include: crude protein, crude fat, total carbohydrate, ash and crude fibre, Potassium, Phosphorus and Calcium. The unit density, bulk density and expansion ratio of the pellets ranges from 407.08 – 518.36 kg.m-3 , 267.33 – 271.93 kg.m-3 and 12.73 – 16.40 %, respectively. The pellet durability index and water stability ranges from 41.07 - 68.60 % and 12.40 – 35.96 mins but P2 had the highest expansion rate (25.55%). The Potassium, Zinc, crude fibre and thermal properties had no significant effect on the feeds at p-level of 5%. The data obtained from this study creates a reference line for the design and development of handling machines, and storage facilities