Antibacterial and Antifungal Effects of Carica papaya and Cucurbita specie Seed Extracts on Escherichia coli and Aspergillus flavus

Objective: In this work, we studied the antifungal and anti-bacterial properties of seeds of Carica papaya and Curcubita specie using selected bacteria and fungi. Methods: Modified cold extraction method with ethanol and n-hexane was conducted. Antimicrobial properties of the extracts were done using agar block dilution for fungi and agar diffusion method for the bacteria. Measurement of the mean growth rate (MGR) for the fungi isolate and the inhibition zone diameter (IZD) for the bacteria were used as parameters. Results: Significant antifungal property was observed in ethanolic extract of Carica papaya at a concentration of 6% at four days of its exposure, while n-hexane extract of Carica papaya and ethanolic extract of Curcubita specie show fungistatic action. Ethanolic extract of Carica papaya at 6% concentration showed more antifungal property than the control drug. Antibacterial action for all the test extracts was poor, with the control drug showing more significant action than the extracts. There was a statistical significance difference between the ethanolic extract of Carica papaya and Curcubita specie (p< 0.05). Conclusion: This is an indication that ethanolic extract of Carica papaya can be used in the treatment of some of the fungal infection caused by Aspergillus flavus likewise n-hexane extracts. Keywords: Antifungal, Anti-bacterial, Carica papaya, Curcubita specie, ethanolic extract, n-hexane extract

Hand hygiene practices and microbial investigation of hand contact swab among physiotherapists in an Ebola endemic region: implications for public health

Background: Hand hygiene practices (HHP), as a critical component of infection prevention/control, were investigated among physiotherapists in an Ebola endemic region. Method: A standardized instrument was administered to 44 randomly selected physiotherapists (23 males and 21 females), from three tertiary hospitals in Enugu, Nigeria. Fifteen participants (aged 22–59 years) participated in focus group discussions (FGDs) and comprised 19 participants in a subsequent laboratory study. After treatment, the palms/fingers of physiotherapists were swabbed and cultured, then incubated aerobically overnight at 37°C, and examined for microbial growths. An antibiogram of the bacterial isolates was obtained. Results: The majority (34/77.3%) of physiotherapists were aware of the HHP protocol, yet only 15/44.1% rated self-compliance at 71–100%. FGDs identified forgetfulness/inadequate HHP materials/infrastructure as the major barriers to HHP. Staphylococcus aureus were the most prevalent organisms, prior to (8/53.33%) and after (4/26.67%) HPP, while Pseudomonas spp. were acquired thereafter. E. coli were the most antibiotic resistant microbes but were completely removed after HHP. Ciprofloxacin and streptomycin were the most effective antibiotics. Conclusion: Poor implementation of HPP was observed due to inadequate materials/infrastructure/poor behavioral orientation. Possibly, some HPP materials were contaminated; hence, new microbes were acquired. Since HPP removed the most antibiotic resistant microbes, it might be more effective in infection control than antibiotic medication