Inventory of Some Environmental Components in the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems of the Integrated Waste Treatment Facility Makurdi Benue State, Nigeria

A survey of some environmental components in the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the Integrated Waste Treatment Facility in Makurdi was carried out to obtain baseline information on the area. Inventory, semi-structured interviews and field observations/walks were carried out to obtain information on useful plants, their abundance and distribution within the facility. The micro and macro flora of the facility was sampled and analyzed using the serial dilution method. 77 plant species consisting of 23 species of trees, 6 shrubs, 34 herbs, 3 woody climbers, 3 climbers, 2 woody herbs, bryophytes, mushrooms and lichens were identified and recorded. 17 animal species consisting of 9 mammals, 4 rodents and 4 fish species have being seen and caught within the facility and in Jamo stream. The microbial status of the water indicated that total coliforms ranged from 3.50 x 105 to 9.00 x 105 cfu/ml faecal coliforms ranged between 4.5 x 104 to 2.75 x 105 cfu/ml. These indicate a high level of contamination of the water from animal and organic matter and may harbour human pathogenic microorganisms. The organisms identified were Escherichia coli, Aerobacter aeroginesa, Faecal streptococcus, Bacillus aureus. Others were Escherichia ferundii, Salmonella typhosa, Pseudomonas aerogenosa, Aspergillus spp,Penicillium spp and yeasts

Sero-epidemiological survey and risk factors for Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection among pregnant women in Logo LGA, Benue State, Nigeria

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is associated with chronic liver diseases, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, liver failure and death. The prevalence of Hepatitis B virus carrier and infectivity status and social characteristics among three hundred and ten pregnant women in Logo LGA, Benue State, Nigeria, was determined through random anonymous testing of volunteers attending antenatal clinics of different hospitals within the community. Thirty of three hundred and ten blood samples tested positive for HBV infection. 11.9% were in the 3rd trimester of their pregnancy and 58.1% were within the age bracket of 21-30 years. Illiterates women constituted 14.4% of those sampled while civil servants were 6.7%. HBV carrier status was determined by the presence of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Repeated reactive samples were confirmed by Enzyme linked immounosorbent assay (ELISA) Kit (Diagnostic Automation, Inc., USA). Maternal HBV infectivity status was determined by testing all HBsAg positive samples for the presence of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg). A total of thirty (9.7%) pregnant women identified as carriers of HBV and eleven of the thirty tested positive for HBeAg. Hence, 3.6% (11/310) of the entire study population was found to have high viral replication as well as high risk of transmitting HBV to their neonates. The frequency of HBV carrier did not vary with age, however, it varies significantly with the previous use of contraceptives and the anaemic status of the subjects (P< 0.05) .This study demonstrates the endemicity of HBV infection in Logo and high infectivity rate, suggest that HBV is likely to be acquired by both vertical and horizontal means of transmission. Testing for HBsAg is recommended for all pregnant women at first prenatal visit so that positive mothers receive prompt intervention.Keywords: Hepatitis B e antigen, Hepatitis B surface antigen, seropositivity, pregnant women, neonate

Seed-storage Mycoflora of Peanut Cultivars Grown in Nigerian Savanna

Storage of peanut is increasingly becoming important both among growers and users of the crop in Nigerian savanna. The aim is to sell the produce and maximize benefits accruing from the crops during scarcity. Very often, these envisaged advantages fail due to unfavourable market forces, thus compelling them to sell at a loss or store them across seasons for periods ranging from one to two years. However, information on fungi associated with storage of such peanuts in Nigerian savanna and its attendant problems are yet to be investigated. Thus, the seed mycoflora and viability seven common peanut cultivars stored under conditions similar to traditional settings were investigated using different isolating techniques. The peanut cultivars were RMP 12, RMP 91, RRB, 48-115B, M554-76, 55-437 Ex-Dakar and a local cultivar. None of these cultivars possessed resistance to in vitro colonization by fungi. Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Rhizopus stolonifer were consistently isolated from all the cultivars from almost all isolating techniques. Other fungi were Fusarium chlamydosporium, F. roseum, F. oxysporium, Penicillium spp., Curvularia spp., Botryodiplodia theobromae, Macrophomina phaseolina and Sclerotium rolfsii. Relative percentages, however, varied with individual fungi and peanut cultivars. The test with seven different types of growth media gave the highest fungi recovery rate than the blotter paper technique. Seed viability was lower with peanut seeds stored for two years. Also, the relative percentage occurrence of individual fungi was significantly higher with seeds stored for two years. While we recommend the use of growth media for recovery and study of seed mycoflora, peanut seeds should not be stored for more than one year