Physico-chemical Parameters and Species’ Distribution Patterns of Extremophilic Bacteria in Kitagata and Ihimbo Hot Springs in South Western Uganda

Extremophiles are organisms that live in extreme environmental conditions of pressure, temperature, salinity that are considered uninhabitable in comparison to the physico-chemical characteristics of the normal environment of human cells. Extremophiles include thermophiles, barophiles, acidophiles and alkaliphiles. Extensive studies of extremophiles ecology, physiology, and molecular biology have yielded valuable information about life processes with a number of important industrial applications. The study sought to profile the thermophilic bacteria present in the less studied two hot springs of Kitagata and Ihimbo. Water samples were collected in a sterile thermo flask and taken to the laboratory, and then the colonial and biochemical tests were done and in comparison to the Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology nine species were identified. The most common were Bacillus spp, Klebsiella spp, Escherichia coli, and Enterobacter spp.  Identification of these thermophile bacteria has become a key step in mapping potential sources of the sought thermo-stable enzymes and also empowered future microbial ecology research and bio-discovery of thermo-stable enzymes that are important in the biotechnological breakthrough

A basic bottom-up approach for small systems of safe-water supply: A decentralized case study in Uganda

In developing countries, diarrhea is known as the major cause of burden among children. Diarrhea is associated to poor quality of drinking water, inadequate sanitation and insufficient hygiene behavior. This work introduces a bottom-up approach for the implementation of a borehole installation in conjunction with proper water handling in rural areas. A pre-intervention survey was performed as a basic decision tool, and a post-intervention survey was performed to evaluate the quality of the intervention. In particular, information was collected regarding the water source, the health status, the water related behavior, hygiene and on other issues. Furthermore, coliforms and fecal contamination of the water sources used during the dry season were determined. Prior to the intervention the monthly diarrhea incidence was estimated to be around 22.0% among children. Microbiological analysis showed that sources of water (river, swamp and waterhole) presented a high fecal contamination (>250 for river and swamp, 110 most probable number index 100 mL–1 for waterhole). After the intervention, the monthly diarrhea incidence dropped to 10.2% among children, showing a significant reduction of 11.8% (p < 0.01). Even though this represents an exciting result, more intervention projects at household level are required in order to further reduce the diarrhea incidence

Freshwater Macroinvertebrates taxa collected from River Rwizi in south-western Uganda in the dry and wet seasons in 2017

Rwizi river, a major contributor to the waters of L. Victoria, is an important freshwater reserve and supports a large and rapidly growing population in Western Uganda. Though it is referred to as a life-line river, it is greatly disturbed by human activities but scanty information exists on extent of damage the river faces. A comprehensive study was made using biological and and physico-chemical aspects of the water to assess water quality along the river system. These data are for benthic macroinvertebrates of the Rwizi system from 21 sites sampled for six months, three in the wet season and three in the dry season. The data sheet contains the date of data collection, site name, season (wet or dry), macroinvertebrate orders and abundances under each macroinvertebrate family collected using the kick-sampling method. This data was used to compute diversity indices and to assess impact of human activity on water quality in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. The Bioassessment used was The Tanzania River Scoring System (TARISS) and classification of taxa was to the require level of classification (Baetidae and hydropsychidae further classification is not included here)

Knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets among pregnant women and children in rural Southwestern Uganda

Abstract Background The burden of malaria in Uganda remains unacceptably high, especially among children and pregnant women. To prevent malaria related complications, household possession and use of Insecticide Treated mosquito Nets (ITNs) has become a common practice in the country. Despite the availability of ITNs, malaria remains a foremost public health concern in Uganda. We sought to explore knowledge, attitude, and behaviour towards the use of ITNs as a nightly malaria prevention strategy among pregnant women and children under five years of age in Isingiro district, Southwestern Uganda. Materials and Methods This was a community based, descriptive cross-sectional study, in which households with children under 5 years, and/or pregnant women were enrolled. We used a structured questionnaire to collect data on participants’ understanding of the causes, signs and symptoms of malaria; use of ITNs to prevent malaria; attitudes and behaviours towards the use of ITNs. We also conducted key informant interviews (KIIs) to get in-depth understanding of responses from the participants. We analysed quantitative data using STATA version 12.Qualitative findings from the KIIs were transcribed and translated, and manually analysed using thematic content analysis. Results Of the 369 households enrolled, 98.4% (N = 363) households had children under five. Most participants (41.2%, N = 152) were in the 21–30 age category (mean age; 32.2 years). 98.1% (N = 362) of the respondents considered ITNs a key malaria prevention strategy. The ITN possession rate was 84.0% (N = 310), of these, 66.1% (N = 205) consistently used them. 39% of the respondents did not have a positive attitude towards ITNs. Conclusions Although 84.0% of the respondents possessed ITNs, many were not consistently using them. To this, there is need to engage all stakeholders (including cultural leaders, community health workers, religious leaders and the government) in the malaria prevention campaigns using ITNs through: a) government’s concerted effort to ensure universal access of right fit ITNs, b) end-user directed health education to emphasize positive attributes of ITN use, c) telling the ITN success stories to improve on the usage