Cell kill pattern and acute toxicity studies of the aqueous fraction of the methanolic extract of parts of Parkia biglobosa

The pattern and rate of kill of the aqueous fraction of the methanolic extract of the stem bark of Parkia biglobosa (WS) against three standard organisms of medical and pharmaceutical importance; Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, as well as the acute toxic effects of the same extract along with those of the leaf (WL) and root (WR) were studied. Results obtained showed the fractions as bactericidal to the test organisms and that the S. aureus and P. aeruginosa were completely killed by WS within 120 min at 12.5 mg/ml and within 90 min at higher concentrations. LD50 results fell within the range of 500 – 5000 mg/kg body weight confirming them to be only slightly toxic and hence not potentially dangerous. These results are discussed in the context of the fact that P. biglobosa parts have been reported to be used extensively in the treatment of a wide variety of infections.Key words: Methanolic, aqueous fraction, Parkia biglobosa, bactericidal, slightly toxic

Studies on the efficacy of some preservatives used in packaged orange drinks

The antibacterial activity of benzoic acid and sodium benzoate was investigated against bacterial isolates from packaged orange drinks using agar well diffusion and broth dilution methods. The antibacterial activity ofthe test agents against the standard NCTC bacteria species was also tested. The bacterial count from the packaged orange drinks ranged from 3.0 x 105 cfu/ml and 1.43 x106 cfu/ml. The bacteria species detectedconsisted of Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Micrococcus sp. The zones of inhibition of benzoic acid ranged from 19.0 mm – 31.5 mm while that of sodium benzoate ranged from 13.5mm – 36.5 mm. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the preservatives against the test bacteria ranged between 0.156 ìg/ml and 0.625 ìg/ml while the Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) rangedbetween 0.313 ìg/ml and 500 ìg/ml. The preservatives were more effective against the Gram positive bacteria than the Gram negative bacteria. The preservatives at the concentration used in the examined drinks areinadequate to keep off indicator organisms and to ensure their safe consumption

Prevalence and susceptibility pattern of methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates among healthy women in Zaria, Nigeria

Multi-resistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MMRSA) has been commonly reported to be one of the commonest causes of nosocomial infections worldwide. Also, recent reports describe methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) carriage in persons in the community. The study investigated its prevalence in urine of healthy women and its susceptibility pattern to other antibiotics. Urine samples collected from healthy women volunteers in Zaria were cultured and screened for S. aureus using standard microbiological procedures. The isolates were then subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing using disc diffusion technique. A total of 54 (36%) S. aureus isolates were isolated from 150 urine samples collected. The prevalence rate for married and single women was 31% and 46%, respectively. Of the S. aureus isolates, 37 (69%) were methicillin-resistant. The MRSA were highly resistant to ampicillin 100%, cephalexin 100%, clindamycin 92%, vancomycin 89% but had low resistance to pefloxacin 35%, ofloxacin 27% ciprofloxacin 27%, sparfloxacin 24% and gentamicin 16%. All the 37 (100%) MRSA isolates showed resistance to at least two antibiotics tested while 33 (89.2%) were multi-drug resistant

Prevalence of community-associated multi-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among healthy women in Abuja, Nigeria

Antimicrobial resistance has become a great public health problem worldwide and multi-drugvresistance Staphylococcus aureus has been widely reported. This study determined the pattern of resistance to ten commonly used antibiotics. Urine samples collected from healthy women volunteersin the Abuja were cultured and screened for S. aureus using standard microbiological procedures. The antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was investigated using disc diffusion technique. A total of 60 (40%) S. aureus isolates were isolated from 150 urine samples collected. Of these, 19 (32%), 22 (36%) and 19 (32%) were from married but not pregnant, pregnant and single women, respectively. The isolates were highly resistant to ampicillin (91.7%), clindamycin (78.3%), cephalexin (75%), methicillin (71.7%) and vancomycin (68.3%) but had very low resistance to gentamicin (3.3%), ciprofloxacin (3.3%), ofloxacin (3.3%), sparfloxacin (3.3%) and pefloxacin (10.0%). A total of 43 (71.7%) of the isolates showed multi-drug resistance and only 3 (5%) were susceptible to all the antibiotics tested. Multi-drug resistant S. aureus is highly prevalent in the urine of healthy women investigated in Federal Capital Territory. This calls for effective measures against irrational use of antibiotics

Investigation on the bioeffects of ethanol extracts of leaf and stem of Momordica charantia on clinical straing of Escherichia coli and Staphlococcus aureas

The bio-effects of the ethanol extracts from the leaf and stem of Momordica charantia were studied with the view to ascertain the medical usefulness ascribed to the plant by the locals. The plant parts, stem and leaf, revealed remarkable activity against Escherichia coli and Staphlococcus aureas. The leaves extracts showed activity at a concentration as low as 10mg/ml against E. coli and 15mg/ml against S. aureus. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) ranges from 10- 15mg/ml while Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) from 30-45mg/ml. The activity of these extracts compared favourably with those of standard antibiotics, Tetracyclines (0.33mg) and Ampicillin (10μg), used in this study. The phytochemical analysis of the extracts showed the presence of tannins, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides and steroids. The presence of these chemicals in the extracts may have been responsible for the activity possessed by the plant extracts. Keywords: Bioeffects, Ethanol extracts, Clinical strains, Momordica charanti

Interaction of Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella enteritidis with polystyrene does not correlate with virulence in young chickens

Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella enteritidis are the most frequently isolated serotypes in human and animal Salmonella infections. The in vitro surface colonization characteristics of S.typhimurium L1388 and S. enteritidis L1225 on hydrophobic surfaces were assessed with a view tounderstanding their surface preference in relation to in vivo virulence. Although both S. typhimurium and S. enteritidis preferentially colonized polystyrene under normal nutrient-rich growth medium, S.typhimurium formed significantly (P < 0.05: P = 0.000008) smaller amounts of biofilm than S.enteritidis. The biofilm formed on polystyrene was optimum at different times, 200 min and 400 min for S. enteritidis and S. typhimurium, respectively. S. typhimurium also formed significantly (P < 0.05)less biofilm than S. enteritidis when the growth medium was supplemented with 100 mM each ofeither D-(+)-mannose (P = 0.0001), D-(+)-glucose (P = 0.0005), D-(-)-mannitol (P = 0.00002) or xylose (P= 00009). Biofilms formed by S. enteritidis following growth in sugar-supplemented medium were not significantly different from that following growth in non-supplemented medium; but significant (

Microbiological Evaluation of Packaged Pineapple Juice Marketed in Kaduna Metropolis

The microbial quality of ten brands of pineapple drinks sold in retail outlets in Kaduna, Nigeria was assessed by microbiological routine methods. All the pineapple drinks tested had high level of microbial contamination. The bacteria count was between 1.5 x 105 and 5.3 x106 colony forming units (cfu) ml-1 while the mould/ yeast count was between 2.2 x 104 and 5.2 x 105 spore forming units (sfu) ml-1. The bacteria species detected consisted of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli Enterobacter aerogenes, Bacillus subtilis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The mould/yeast includes Penicillum spp., Candida sp, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus. The susceptibility pattern of Staph. aureus, E. coli, Enterobacter aerogenes and Ps. aeruginosa isolated from the pineapple drinks showed that Ps. aeruginosa showed complete resistance to some of the antibiotics. The results are discussed in the light of health hazards posed by microbiologically poor pineapple drinks.Keywords: Microbiological evaluation, packaged pineapple drinks, marketedNigerian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, Vol. 8 No 1 pp. 281 - 287 (September 2010

Prävalenz, Risikofaktoren und antibiotisches Resistenzprofil von Methicillin-resistentem Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) aus Abstrichen vom V. nasi von Patienten und Mitarbeitern staatlicher Krankenhäuser in Sokoto, Nigeria

Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) obtained from the nasal cavity of participants and investigate the antibiotic resistance profiles of the isolates from Sokoto state, Nigeria. Methods: Nasal swabs of both nares were obtained from 378 participants across three study centers within the six-month study period. The Staphylococcus aureus isolates recovered were characterized, and their resistance phenotype determined in conjunction with MRSA prevalence. Results: Phenotypic screening of isolates obtained in this study revealed a total of 131 (17.3%) coagulase-positive Staphylococci out of 756 samples. Of this number, there were 81 (61.8%) S. aureus , 36 (27.5%) Staphylococcus intermedius , 6 (4.5%) Staphylococcus hyicus, and 8 (6.1%) Staphylococcus schleiferi . Conclusion: This study found a prevalence of 61.8% and 46.9% of S. aureus and MRSA among the studied hospitals in Sokoto state, thus demonstrating that the nares of the hospital populace are not free from S. aureus and MRSA colonization.Ziel: Ziel der Studie war es, die Prävalenz von Methicillin-resistenten Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) aus der Nasenhöhle der Teilnehmer zu bestimmen und die Antibiotika-Resistenz-Profile der Isolate aus dem Bundesstaat Sokoto, Nigeria, zu untersuchen. Methode: Von 378 Teilnehmern aus drei Studienzentren wurden im Verlauf von 6 Monaten Abstriche aus beiden Nares entnommen. Die gewonnenen Staphylococcus aureus -Isolate wurden charakterisiert und ihr Resistenz-Phänotyp in Verbindung mit der MRSA-Prävalenz bestimmt. Ergebnisse: Das phänotypische Screening der Isolate ergab 131 Koagulase-positive Staphylokokken, davon 81 Staphylococcus aureus (61,8%), 36 Staphylococcus intermedius (27,5%), 6 Staphylococcus hyicus (4,5%) und 8 Staphylococcus schleiferi (6,1%). Schlussfolgerung: Die Studie zeigt eine relative Prävalenzrate von 61,8% und 46,9% von S. aureus und MRSA unter den untersuchten Krankenhäusern im Bundesstaat Sokoto, was darauf schließen lässt, dass die Nasen der Krankenhausbevölkerung nicht frei von S. aureus und MRSA-Kolonisation sind

Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin among healthy women in two Nigerian metropolitan cities

No Abstract. African Journal of Clinical and Experimental Microbiology Vol. 7(3) 2006: 205-21

Plasmid Conjugation in E. coli and Drug Resistance

The emergence of multidrug resistance in clinical Escherichia coli has been associated significantly with plasmid mediated genes in carriers; which is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. This study aimed at determining the antibiotics susceptibility pattern of E. coli isolates claimed to be multidrug resistance using disc diffusion method. It also determined the presence of transferable resistance plasmids through conjugation and evaluated the medical significance of plasmid encoding E. coli and drug resistance. The result showed that majority of the multidrug resistance in clinical microorganism was as a result of the acquisition of plasmid-carrying antibiotic-resistance genes, acquired through conjugal transfer of plasmids which has greatly contributed to the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance among E. coli isolates which could lead to complication in therapy and limit treatment options, increase in mortality rate, high economic burden and longer hospital stays. To cub this, it is imperative to checkmate the rate at which over the counter drugs are sold and antibiotic misused in animal feeds. This will play a key role in decreasing the emergence of resistant bacteria strains within our environment.Key words: E. coli, conjugation, transconjugation, plasmid, multidrug resistanc