Contamination of herbal medicinal products marketed in Kaduna Metropolis with selected pathogenic bacteria.

The study aimed to evaluate the bacterial contamination of powdered herbal medicinal preparations sourced from identified herbal retail outlets in different parts of Kaduna metropolis. The assessments of the contamination of the herbal products were carried out using standard procedures: total aerobic bacterial plate count, measurement of some physical parameters, isolation and characterization of selected bacterial pathogens etc. The results showed that out of a total of 150, 70 (46.67%) herbal remedies were contaminated with Salmonella typhi, twenty nine (19.33%) with Shigella spp. Eighty eight (58.67%) and 98 (65.33%) were contaminated with Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. The total aerobic plate count results showed that the highest average count of > 5×107cfu/g was found in 89 (59.33%) of the preparations, while average plate count of ≤5×107cfu/g was found in 42 (28%) and no bacterial count was obtained in 19 (12.67%) of the preparations. Correlation was positive (P = 0.01; r = +0.109) between the physical parameters tested and the bacterial load. Antibacterial activities result of some common antibiotics showed that all the antibiotics had activities on the test bacterial isolates at various minimum inhibitory concentrations. Most traditionally prepared herbal medications in Kaduna state are likely to be contaminated with a wide variety of potentially pathogenic bacteria. The quality assurance of these products should be thoroughly enforced and monitored in the production and distribution of herbal preparations.Key words: Herbal preparations, Kaduna metropolis, bacterial contamination, antibacterial assessment

Antibiotic susceptibilities of Salmonella species prevalent among children of 0-5 years with diarrhea in Katsina state, Nigeria

This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of Salmonella species among children having diarrhea in Katsina State, Nigeria. A total of 220 diarrhea stool samples of children aged five years and below (0-5 years) were collected and screened for Salmonella species using culture technique. Presumptively positive isolates were further screened biochemically and serologically, using MicrogenTM Enterobactericeae ID kit and MicrogenTM Salmonella rapid confirmatory latex agglutination test kit. Antibiotic susceptibility of confirmed isolates was carried out and resistance patterns of the isolates determined. The highest incidence was observed in children of 13-24 months of age and the least in children of 0-12 months of age. There was a higher prevalence in male than female children. All the isolates screened were resistant to Ampicillin and Amoxicillin and of these, 90.9% were resistant to Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and 45.5% were resistant to Nalidixic acid. However, 100% were sensitive to Gentamicin, 90.9% were sensitive to Ciprofloxacin and Cefotaxime and 9.09% showed reduced susceptibility to Ciprofloxacin. Both the occurrence of Salmonella in children and their resistance to multiple antibiotics as observed are of public health significance. The vein of this study underscores the importance of routine monitoring of the incidence of Salmonella and continued health education of caregivers.Keywords: Antibiotic resistance; Prevalence of Salmonella; Childhood diarrhea; Katsina State; Antibiotics susceptibility of Salmonell

Evaluation of Nitrate Reductase Assay for Detection of Multi-drug Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis among Patients at National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory Zaria Nigeria

Aims: To evaluate nitrate reductase assay for detection of multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis among patients at National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory Zaria Nigeria. Study Design: Hospital based cross sectional study Place and Duration of Study: National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory Zaria Nigeria from December 2015 to June 2016. Methodology: A total of 437 re-treatment patients’ samples were screened for Acid Fast Bacilli (AFB), 72 were smear positive. Out of 72 smears positive, 62 were culture positive, using Lowenstein Jensen medium, 57 were found to be Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) using immunochromatographic test. In this study the susceptibility of 57 MTBC isolates to isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RIF), streptomycin (STR) and Ethambutol (EMB) was determined by Lowenstein Jensen proportion method (LJPM) and Nitrate Reductase Assay (NRA) Results: The sensitivity and specificity of NRA compared to that of LJPM were observed to be 98% and 89%, 98% and 92%, 64% and 80%, 68% and 77% for RIF, INH, STR, and EMB respectively. Positive predictive values were 91%, 93%, 87% and 83% for RIF, INH, STR and EMB respectively. Negative predictive values were 80%, 92%, 67% and 90% for RIF, INH, STR and EMB respectively .Overall, the sensitivity, specificity ,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of NRA in detecting MDR-TB were 90%,82%,85%and 73% respectively. Good agreement was found in all the tests with κ values of 0.63, 0.61, 0.61 and 0.62 for RIF, INH, EMB and MDR-TB respectively only STR shows moderate agreements with k value of 0.59. Conclusion: In the emergence of MDR-TB, the NRA may be of great importance due to its higher sensitivity and specificity for the rapid detection of rifampicin and isoniazid resistance, the two most important drugs for tuberculosis treatment. On the basis of our findings, NRA has the potential to be a useful tool for accurate detection of MDR-TB in the study area

Assessing Aflatoxin M1 levels among lactating mothers’ in Damaturu Yobe state, Nigeria

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a biomarker of aflatoxin B1 exposure in breast milk, a possible risk factor for infant early exposure to Aflatoxin. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a carcinogenic metabolite from Aspergillus fungus ingested from diet. One hundred (100) lactating mothers were sampled in General Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital Damaturu with infant’s in-patient wards. Samples of breast milk and urine were collected aseptically and transported to the laboratory for analysis. Structured questionnaire was used to identify the possible food consumed within 72hrs to suggest possible source of aflatoxin exposure. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of breast milk samples were carried out by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The occurrence of AFM1 showed 82% of the breast milk samples were positive to Aflatoxin M1. The occurrence of 93% of AFM1 excreted in their urine shows exposure to the toxin for a short time period. AFM1 excreted in urine of lactating mothers within 72hrs of acclaimed food consumption, showed 97.1% of mothers that took milk were exposed, meat: 100% , corn meal: 93.4% , also, date: 93%, ‘Brabisko/ Biski’: 30.6%, imported rice :77.7%, native rice: 93.4% occurrence taken( p< 0.05). Concentration of AFM1 among lactating mothers’ breast milk in relation to socio-demographic factors expressed the highest concentration among unemployed and age bracket 18-25 and 34-41 with 0.07µg/L which could be that the employed mothers were more careful with quality of food they consumed while the unemployed mothers may concentrate on the quantity of food they took. In the case of excretion in urine, 0.05µg/L AFM1 was detected among unemployed study participants with lower concentration among the age of 42 and above having 0.04 µg/L. The concentrations of AFM1 in all the breast milk samples were higher than the acceptable tolerance level of 0.05 µg/L as recommended by the Codex Alimentarius. This is a serious indication that lactating mothers ingest aflatoxin contaminated food which may be public health concern.Keywords: Aflatoxin, Limit, Contamination, Biski, Chromatography

Screening of selected medicinal plants for their antifungal properties

Background: The rising incidence of fungal infections has created the need for the next generation of antifungal agents, as many of the currently available ones either have adverse effects, or are not active against emerging or re-emerging fungi, leading to the fast progression of resistant strains. Objectives: This study aims at evaluating the antifungal activities of some medicinal plants used traditionally for treating skin infections in Nigeria. Methods: In vitro antifungal activities of seven indigenous plants (Leptadenia hastate, Lawsonia inermis, Hyptis suaveolens, Luffa cylindrica, Jatropha curcas, Pterocarpus erinaceous and Afromaxia laxiflora) were screened against Candida albicans ATCC 10231, Candida tropicalis ATCC 13803, clinical strains of Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Trichophyton rubrum, Microsporum canis and Epidermophyton floccosum using agar dilution and micro broth dilution methods. Terbinafine and fluconazole were used as reference standards for comparism. Results: The results showed that the ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of the plants produced better antifungal effects than the hexane and water extracts. Luffa cylindrica and H. suaveolens exhibited the strongest inhibitory activity against all the fungi tested with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging between 250 and 1000 ag/mL. Conclusion: The plants screened could serve as leads for the development of new antifungal drugs.Key words: Antifungal, agar dilution, micro broth dilution, minimum inhibitory concentration

Prevalence of Trichomonas Infection among Women Attending Antenatal Clinics in Zaria, Nigeria

Background: Trichomoniasis has emerged to be one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. Methods: High vaginal swabs (HVS) were collected from randomly selected 300 women attending antenatal clinics in three public health facilities within Zaria. Results: The prevalence of trichomoniasis amongst three hundred randomly selected women attending three antenatal clinics in Zaria was determined by the direct wet mount examination and culture techniques on high vaginal specimens collected with sterile swabs. Of the total patients screened for trichomoniasis, there was an18.66% prevalence rate 35.71% of which were diagnosed by direct microscopic examination of HVS wet mount preparations. The infection rate was highest among the age group of 16-25 year \u2013which had a prevalence rate of 53.57% followed by the 26-35 year age group with 32.14%. Conclusions: The high recovery rate obtained in this study demonstrates the importance of employing both direct microscopic examinations of wet mount preparation and culture techniques in the diagnosis of trichomoniasis. These findings also confirm the advantage of using culture techniques over the wet mount direct microscopic examination of HVS in the diagnosis of this disease.Introduction: La trichomonase est devenue comme des infections sexuellement transmissible le plus ordinaire. M\ue9thodes: Tampons vaginal \ue9lev\ue9 (TVE) ont \ue9t\ue9s collection\ue9s chez 300 femmes choisises au hasard qui consultent des cliniques ant\ue9natales dans trois centres hospitaliers publiques \ue0 Zaria. R\ue9sultats: La fr\ue9quence de la trichomonase chez trois cents femmes choisises au hasard qui consultent trois cliniques ant\ue9natales \ue0 Zaria \ue9tait d\ue9cid\ue9e par l'examen mouill\ue9 mount directe et techniques de la culture sur des sp\ue9cimens \ue9lev\ue9s vaginal collectionn\ue9s avec tampons st\ue9rile. Parmi toutes les patientes s\ue9lection\ue9es pour la trichomonase, il y avait 18,66% taux de la fr\ue9quence de 35,71% parmi lesquels ont \ue9t\ue9 diagnostiqu\ue9s par examen microscopiques directe de TVE pr\ue9parations mouill\ue9es mounte. Le taux de l'infection \ue9tait le plus \ue9lev\ue9 chez la tranche d'\ue2ge de 16 \u2013 25 ans qui avait un taux de la fr\ue9quence de 53,57% suivie par la tranche d'\ue2ge de 26 \u2013 35 avec 32,14%. Conclusion: Le taux \ue9lev\ue9 de la qu\ue9rison obtenue dans cette \ue9tude indique l'importance de l'utilisation de la pr\ue9paration d'examen microscopique mount mouill\ue9 directe et technique de la culture dans le diagnostique de la trichomonase les deux. Ces r\ue9sultats \ue9galement confirment l'avantage microscopique du mount mouill\ue9 directe de TVE dans le diagnostique de cette maladie

Association of Chlamydia serology with HIV in Nigerian women

This research was carried out to detect the presence of Chlamydia in pregnant women and gynaecologic patients in the North-central geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Blood samples were collected and analysed by ELISA techniques. The blood samples were also screened for HIV infection. A sero-prevalence of 59.0% was recorded for the study area. The sero-prevalence was higher among the gynaecologic patients (62.0%) than the pregnant women (57.5%). The difference was statistically significant (P = 0.0001). Of the four centers chosen for the study, the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) had the highest prevalence (84.7%), while Niger State had the least (28.7%). The difference was also statistically significant (P<0.0001). The prevalence rate of HIV among the participants in the study center was found to be 17.2%. Abuja had the highest prevalence rate of 24.6%, followed by Benue, 16.7%, then Kogi, 12.0% and finally, Niger, 4.7%. Chlamydia was found to be associated with HIV (p<0.0001). The sero-prevalence of chlamydia in the North-Central zone of Nigeria was found to be high. Chlamydia was found to be correlated with HIV in the study area and may have contributed to the zone emerging with the highest HIV prevalence in the country. For an infection that is largely asymptomatic but has devastating effects on populations, only a preventive approach would have beneficial effects in controlling the disease and its effects on women’s health in the country.Keywords: Chlamydia trachomatis, HIV, pregnant women, gynaecologic patients, co-infectio

Community-based intervention is necessary for the control of HIV in North-Central Nigeria.

Objectives: To determine factors associated with the observed high prevalence of HIV in North-Central Nigeria. Methods: In a cross-sectional multisite study conducted in 2007, behavioral, medical, and demographic data were obtained from pregnant women (N = 1011) who were tested for the presence of antibody against HIV-1 and HIV-2. Results: The overall prevalence of HIV-1 in the 1011 women included in the study was 10.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) 8.4–12.2). In the multivariate analysis, HIV-1 seropositivity was significantly associated with women from the Makurdi (odds ratio (OR) 31.3, 95% CI 3.8–255.7) and Minna (OR 15.4, 95% CI 1.7–135.1) sites in comparison with Panyam site. The presence of tuberculosis (OR 10.7, 95% CI 2.4–48.3) was also significantly associated with HIV-1 seropositive status. Factors associated with HIV-1 also differed between sites. The presence of antibody against HIV-2 was not observed. Conclusions: The high HIV-1 prevalence observed in this study corroborates previous observations in North-Central Nigeria. Disparity in the prevalence across communities was also seen. This is the only detailed socio-epidemiological and behavioral study that has explored potential factors associated with HIV-1 in North-Central Nigeria, and it revealed that differences in risk factors explain the disparity in prevalence across communities

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 of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from hospital urine samples

Two hundred freshly voided midstream specimens of urine collected from the Ahmadu Bello University Sick Bay (Samaru Main Campus (were processed for bacterial contaminations. Fifty samples (25%) were culture positive for urinary tract pathogens including: Escherichia coli [40%], Klebsiella pneumoniae (36%), Staphylococcus aureus (18%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6%). Antibiotic susceptibility studies on the dominant isolates known to be commonly implicated in urinary tract infections- showed that most of the E. coli were resistant to more than four antibiotics. Resistances were more pronounced with nalidixic acid [80%], ceftazidime (80%), nitrofurantoin (73.3%) and cotrimoxazole [100%]. On the other hand K. pneumoniae isolates showed resistances to cotrimoxazole (100%), ceftazidime (86.7%), nalidixic acid (60%) and nitrofurantoin (55.3%). Both isolates were uniformly susceptible to amikacin and imipenem (100% susceptibility) respectively. The urine bacterial isolates were significantly susceptible to antibiotics commonly used in the treatment of urinary tract infections, however, costly and less frequently prescribed antibiotics were much more effective and should be reserved for life threatening cases. IJONAS Vol. 3 (1) 2007: pp. 49-5