Spatial Distribution and Environmental Risk Assessment of Petrol Stations in Abeokuta Metropolis, Ogun State, Nigeria

This study examined the spatial distribution and risk associated with the proliferation and indiscriminate establishment of petrol stations in Abeokuta metropolis, Nigeria. All effective parameters in petrol stations risks were identified and assessed using Williams–Fine and FMEA methods for petrol stations in the metropolis while structured questionnaire was administered on respondents near the petrol stations to elicit relevant information. Number of existing petrol stations, road networks and other spatial attributes served as input into the GIS environment with ArcGIS 10.0. Distances between road edge and petrol station, petrol station and residential buildings and between petrol stations were determined using preset criteria. The fire risk assessment revealed that 88 of the petrol stations had high risk (range: >201) while 20 and nine had medium (range: 201-101) and low (range: <100) risks respectively. Majority (113) of the 117 active petrol stations in Abeokuta have few or no functioning fire extinguishing systems, which make them vulnerable to fire incidences. Risk analysis indicated that distances between petrol stations and residential buildings in the metropolis does not comply with the 450 m distance standard. Majority were located within residential, commercial and educational land use areas where they constitute environmental risks including fire disasters, and soil and groundwater pollution

Bacteriological Analysis of Ready to Eat Suya Meat Sold In Adolor and Oluku Area of Benin City, Nigeria

Traditionally processed meat product is usually done without observing strict hygiene conditions, which could cause foodborne illnesses.  As a consequence of microorganisms exceeding acceptable limits, hence, the objective of this paper was to determine the bacteriological analysis of ready-to-eat suya meat sold in Adolor and Oluku area of Benin City, Nigeria. Freshly roasted suya meat samples were obtained from two randomly chosen suya vendors and carefully wrapped in newspaper and sterile foil paper. Bacteriological analysis was performed using the pour plate method with nutrient agar and mannitol salt agar media. The isolates virulence factors and antibiotic susceptibility profile were analyzed. The results showed that samples obtained from Adolor wrapped with Newspaper had the highest bacterial counts of 4.00 x 109 cfu/g. The highest Staphylococci count of 3.10 ± 0.7 x 104 cfu/g was from a sample wrapped in Newspaper. The identified bacterial isolates were Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Streptococcus sp., Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Clostridium sp, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermis. Bacillus subtilis had the highest occurrence, while Staphylococcus epidermidis had the least occurrence, with cumulative values of 29.26 and 2.44 %, respectively. The isolates were resistant to most of the antibiotics tested, with an average antibiotic resistance index of above 50 %, which poses a serious public health concern. This study shows that packaging material and handlers are major sources of contamination in suya. It is recommended that suya be sold in more sterile packaging materials. The handlers should be trained on safe hygiene practices for handling suy

Influence of storage conditions and packaging materials on some quality attributes of water yam flour

The study investigated some quality attributes of water yam flour stored in three packaging materials [high and low density polyethylene and plastic container] under different storage conditions [relative humidity (36%, 56%, 75% and 96%), temperature (25±2, 35±2 and 45±2 °C)] for 24 weeks. The functional properties, proximate composition and microbial load of the samples were evaluated at 4 weeks interval. Significant differences (p<0.01) were observed for proximate composition, functional properties and microbial load of the samples during storage. The interactive effect of storage conditions and packaging materials was significant (p<0.01) on proximate composition and pasting properties (except trough viscosity). The yam flour samples were still shelf stable after the 24 weeks of storage

Molecular Diagnostics for Lassa Fever at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Nigeria: Lessons Learnt from Two Years of Laboratory Operation

Background: Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever endemic in West Africa. However, none of the hospitals in the endemic areas of Nigeria has the capacity to perform Lassa virus diagnostics. Case identification and management solely relies on non-specific clinical criteria. The Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) in the central senatorial district of Edo State struggled with this challenge for many years. Methodology/Principal Findings A laboratory for molecular diagnosis of Lassa fever, complying with basic standards of diagnostic PCR facilities, was established at ISTH in 2008. During 2009 through 2010, samples of 1,650 suspected cases were processed, of which 198 (12%) tested positive by Lassa virus RT-PCR. No remarkable demographic differences were observed between PCR-positive and negative patients. The case fatality rate for Lassa fever was 31%. Nearly two thirds of confirmed cases attended the emergency departments of ISTH. The time window for therapeutic intervention was extremely short, as 50% of the fatal cases died within 2 days of hospitalization—often before ribavirin treatment could be commenced. Fatal Lassa fever cases were older (p = 0.005), had lower body temperature (p<0.0001), and had higher creatinine (p<0.0001) and blood urea levels (p<0.0001) than survivors. Lassa fever incidence in the hospital followed a seasonal pattern with a peak between November and March. Lassa virus sequences obtained from the patients originating from Edo State formed—within lineage II—a separate clade that could be further subdivided into three clusters. Conclusions/Significance: Lassa fever case management was improved at a tertiary health institution in Nigeria through establishment of a laboratory for routine diagnostics of Lassa virus. Data collected in two years of operation demonstrate that Lassa fever is a serious public health problem in Edo State and reveal new insights into the disease in hospitalized patients.Organismic and Evolutionary Biolog

Molecular diagnostics for lassa fever at Irrua specialist teaching hospital, Nigeria: lessons learnt from two years of laboratory operation.

BACKGROUND: Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever endemic in West Africa. However, none of the hospitals in the endemic areas of Nigeria has the capacity to perform Lassa virus diagnostics. Case identification and management solely relies on non-specific clinical criteria. The Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) in the central senatorial district of Edo State struggled with this challenge for many years. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A laboratory for molecular diagnosis of Lassa fever, complying with basic standards of diagnostic PCR facilities, was established at ISTH in 2008. During 2009 through 2010, samples of 1,650 suspected cases were processed, of which 198 (12%) tested positive by Lassa virus RT-PCR. No remarkable demographic differences were observed between PCR-positive and negative patients. The case fatality rate for Lassa fever was 31%. Nearly two thirds of confirmed cases attended the emergency departments of ISTH. The time window for therapeutic intervention was extremely short, as 50% of the fatal cases died within 2 days of hospitalization--often before ribavirin treatment could be commenced. Fatal Lassa fever cases were older (p = 0.005), had lower body temperature (p<0.0001), and had higher creatinine (p<0.0001) and blood urea levels (p<0.0001) than survivors. Lassa fever incidence in the hospital followed a seasonal pattern with a peak between November and March. Lassa virus sequences obtained from the patients originating from Edo State formed--within lineage II--a separate clade that could be further subdivided into three clusters. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Lassa fever case management was improved at a tertiary health institution in Nigeria through establishment of a laboratory for routine diagnostics of Lassa virus. Data collected in two years of operation demonstrate that Lassa fever is a serious public health problem in Edo State and reveal new insights into the disease in hospitalized patients

Virological and clinical data for Lassa fever patients.

<p>Due to a variable number of missing values, the number (n) of data points that were included in the analysis is indicated with each category.</p><p>Abbreviations:</p>a<p>Patients who were discharged after recovery.</p>b<p>Patients who died during hospitalization.</p>c<p>1+, Lassa virus RT-PCR was only positive with undiluted plasma; 2+, Lassa virus RT-PCR was positive with 1/10-volume plasma, irrespective of whether the undiluted sample was positive or not.</p>#<p>p<0.01 (PCR-positive survived vs. PCR-positive died).</p

Phylogenetic analysis of Lassa virus sequences.

<p>The sequences of the PCR fragments obtained from positive cases were aligned with published sequences. The latter are identified by GenBank accession numbers. For clarity of presentation, only Nigerian strains are shown. The clusters A, B, and C comprising strains from Edo State and Ondo State were collapsed; these strains are shown separately in <a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0001839#pntd-0001839-g006" target="_blank">Figure 6</a>. Posterior probability values are indicated on the branches. The country of origin of Lassa virus strains is indicated by a prefix: IC, Ivory Coast; NIG, Nigeria. If known, State and city is also shown with the strains (FCT, Federal Capital Territory). Sequences highlighted in boldface have been submitted to GenBank (accession nos. JN651366-JN651400). Lassa virus lineages are indicated left. The novel putative lineage/sub-lineage represented by strain Nig05-A08 <a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0001839#pntd.0001839-Ehichioya2" target="_blank">[49]</a> is indicated with a question mark.</p