Effect of garlic (Allium sativum) on Salmonella typhi infection, gastrointestinal flora and hematological parameters of albino rats

The effect of consumption of garlic (Allium sativum) in treating Salmonella typhi infection and on the gastrointestinal flora and hematological parameters of rats was investigated. Crude garlic extract inhibited the growth of S. typhi on agar plate with a zone of inhibition averaging 23.8 mm in diameter using the agar diffusion assay. This inhibition was superior to that of all the conventional antibiotics used except streptomycin which gave a growth inhibitory value of 24.0 mm. In the in vivo assay, although, pretreatment with the extract did not protect rats orogastrically dosed with the infective dose of S. typhi from the infection, the consumption of crude garlic extract however, caused a significant (p<0.05) reduction in the number of S. typhi in the feaces of the infected rats from 2.0 x 108 to 9.0 x 101 cfu/ml and also reduced the duration of infection from 5 to 3 days. On the effect of consumption of garlic extract on the type and load of gastrointestinal flora and hematological parameters of rats, garlic extract caused a significant (p<0.05) reduction in the type of bacteria present in the gastrointestinal tract of rats fed 1 ml daily for 7 weeks from six microbial types to one microbial species, reduction in microbial load of the flora from 1.64 x 1012 to 1.3 x 107 cfu/ml, reduction in packed cell volume (PCV), total white blood cells (WBC) and lymphocytes counts but caused an increase in neutrophils and monocytes counts of the rats. The observed increases in the neutrophils and monocytes counts of the blood suggested that garlic may possess immune-stimulatory effect in addition to its antibacterial effect.Key words: Salmonella typhi, Allium sativum, antibacterial activity, rats

Evaluation of ogi liquor from different grains for antibacterial activities against some common diarrhoeal bacteria in Southwest Nigeria

The effect of raw ogi liquor from five varieties of grains; white maize, yellow maize, white guinea corn, red guinea corn and millet on some diarrhoeal bacteria; Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella dysenteriae, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Enterobacter species was investigated. The ogi liquors prepared using cold and hot water methods were effective in inhibiting the growth of most of the test organisms with zones of inhibition ranging from 4.0 - 14.0 mm. The growth inhibition mediated by theseliquors, however, was not as wide as that of some of the antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, gentamycin and ofloxacin, but in most cases superior to that of tetracycline, nitrofurantoin and cotrimoxazole

Effect of leaf-packaging on the microbiological assessment of some food items

Microorganisms associated with leaves of Thaumatococcus daniellii (“ewe eran”), Musa paradisiaca (banana) and Tectona grandis (teak) and the food wrapped in the leaves were investigated. The bacterial isolates from both the leaves and food include Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis, Micrococcus sp., Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Corynebacterium sp. and Lactobacillus acidophilus. The fungal isolates were Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, Rhizopus stolonifer, Penicillium expansium and Mucor mucedo. M. paradisiaca leaf has the least load of bacterial isolates with an average count of 5.00 x 104 cfu/g; followed by Thaumatococcus grandis, 8.00 x 104 cfu/g and Tectona daniellii, 1.44 x 105 cfu/g. The pH of all the food samples wrapped in the different leaves decreased from the original values. The moisture contents ranged from 69.57 to 79.00%. Crude fibre, ash and crude protein increase slightly on the first two days of storage and decrease on the third and fourth days.Keywords: Thaumatococcus daniellii, Musa paradisiacal, Tectona grandis, microbiological qualitie

NUTRIENT ENRICHMENT OF SWEET POTATO (Ipomoea batatas L.) BY SOLID SUBSTRATE FERMENTATION USING FOUR FUNGAL SPECIES

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) tubers and flour were fermented using pure strains of four fungal species: Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolonifer, Neurospora sitophila and Saccharomyces cerevisiae using solid substrate fermentation at 300C for 72 hrs. The protein content of the samples increased significantly (p£0.05) from 2.34±0.07% in the unfermented tuber to values ranging from 11.46±0.01 and 12.62±0.09% in the fermented tuber and 6.26±0.05% in the unfermented flour to values ranging from 7.83±0.06 and 9.70± 0.02 in the fermented flour. Fat content was also increased in the fermented tubers. However, fermentation decreased the fat content of the flour except in Aspergillus niger- fermented flour. Fermentation increased the ash content of the samples (except in Saccharomyces cerevisiae- fermented tuber, Rhizopus stolonifer-fermented flour and -fermented flour). The crude fibre, carbohydrate, sugars (reducing, non-reducing and total) and starch contents of both flours and tubers reduced after fermentation. Mineral elements such as Mg (except in Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermented tuber and Aspergillus niger fermented tuber), Ca (except in Aspergillus niger - fermented tuber), P (except in Rhizopus stolonifer fermented flour), and K (except in Aspergillus niger fermented flour) and decreased significantly; while Zn (except Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermented tuber and flour and Aspergillus niger fermented flour), Fe (except in Saccharomyces cerevisiae ferment tuber and flour and Rhizopus stolonifer fermented tuber) and Na (except in Rhizopies stolonifer fermented tuber) contents increased. Overall, Aspergillus niger appeared to be the most nutritionally-enriching compared to other fungi, while the sweet potato tuber proved to be a better fermentable substrate than the flour. KEY WORDS: Fungi, Nutrient enrichment; Solid substrate fermentation; Sweet potato. Global Jnl Pure & Applied Sciences Vol.10(1) 2004: 31-3

Antibiogram of Klebsiella Pneumoniae urinary isolates of apparently healthy individuals in Osogbo Metropolis, Nigeria

One thousand (1,000) urine samples from apparently healthy subjects were cultured for Klebsiella pneumoniae and its antibiotic susceptibility profile to commonly used antimicrobial drugs was determined. The study was conducted in two randomly selected local government areas within Osogbo metropolis. The occurrence rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae was 38 (3.8%) and isolate were highly resistant to Tetracycline (92.1%), Amoxyllin (76.3%) and Co-trimoxazole (71.9%). Resistance to gentamicin was moderate (63.2%) while Ofloxacin, nitrofurantoin, ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid and pefloxacin were very effective with 92.1%, 84.2%, 78.9% and 76.3% respectively sensitive to it and Cephalexin (57.9%) was moderately sensitive. More females {55.3%} than males (44.7%} had the highest infection rate and the difference was statistically significant (

The in vitro susceptibility of Campylobacter spp. to the antibacterial effect of manuka honey

We report the antimicrobial effect of manuka honey against Campylobacter spp. isolated by a diagnostic laboratory from specimens from a community in New Zealand. The isolates were differentiated according to species level using multiplex PCR. C. jejuni (20 strains) and C. coli (7 strains) were identified. The clinical isolates identified and type culture collection strains of these species were subjected to testing to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of manuka honey using a microdilution technique. The MIC of the manuka honey against all of the Campylobacter tested was found to be around 1% (v/v) honey. The low MIC values suggest that honey might still inhibit the growth of campylobacteria after dilution by fluid in the gut, but the actual concentration of honey that can be achieved in the intestine is unknown. Therefore, clinical investigation is required to establish the efficacy of honey against Campylobacter spp. in the gut environment