Antimicrobial Activity and Micro-Flora Quality Evaluation of Commonly Used Toothpastes

To determine the microbiological quality and antimicrobial activity and effectiveness of commonly used toothpaste, thirty products consisting of eight brands of toothpaste were evaluated using standard methods and Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans as test organisms. All the toothpastes were sterile, and had some levels of antimicrobial activity at neat and 10-1 dilutions. Colgate and Signal had the highest zones of inhibition 20mm and 12mm against Staphylococcus aureus. Colgate and Macleans herbal neat concentration had the highest inhibition of 11mm and 10mm on Candida albicans. Colgate and Macleans had a minimum inhibitory concentration greater than 10-3 for Staphylococcus aureus. The other toothpastes showed minimum inhibitory concentration of 10-1 and 10-2. Close Up herbal and Colgate had minimum inhibitory concentrations of greater than 10-3 for Candida albicans. At 10-2 dilution, total bacteria count of colonies increased as the time of exposure increased for most of the toothpastes. There was however, a general decline in the number of Candida colonies as the time of exposure increased. The toothpastes reduced and inhibited the test organisms mainly as neat and at 5 and 10 minutes. It is advocated that brushing the teeth for 5 to 10 minutes will allow for enough contact time for toothpaste to act on oral microbes and importantly pathogens for maximum result of good oral hygiene. Further studies on the relationship of brushing mannerism and toothpaste use culture are necessary. Regular survey of personal care products at the consumer level is advised to help keep the consumers informed of quality of products and checkmate producers of fake product and thus help stamp out unwholesome product from our market

Mycoflora and Aflatoxin Contamination of Some Foodstuffs

Analysis was made of the mycoflora and aflatoxin contamination of Rice (Oryza sativa), Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), Corn (Zea mays), and Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) sold in four different markets in Sango-Ota, Ogun state, Nigeria. Sixty four samples comprising of four samples of each foodstuff from four food vendors in four different markets was assayed. The samples were contaminated with different species of fungi to include Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus tamarii, Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus nigricans, Rhizopus oryzae, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Aspergillus parasiticus, Fusarium moniliforme, Fusarium verticilliodes, Aspergillus ochraceus, Cladosporium cladosporioide, Mucor spp, Trichodema spp, Rhizopus arrhizus and Aspergillus fumigates. Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium spp had the highest rate of occurrence among the isolated fungi. Aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 were found associated with the samples at concentration ranging from 9 - 25 ppb, 8 - 12 ppb, 6 - 21 ppb, 4 - 8 ppb respectively. The fungal counts were between 6.3 x 102 to 7.0 x 103 cfu/g. The moisture content and the pH of samples were between 10.9 to 28.0% and 6.20 to 6.66 respectively. Effective storage and adherence to HACCP principles will help prevent contamination of foodstuffs with aflatoxigenic fungi

Co-digestion of Food Waste and Human Excreta for Biogas Production

The ever increasing cost of fossil fuels and its attendant pollution menace has provided the pedigree to consider alternative sources of energy. An investigation was launched into the design and construction of an Anaerobic Digester system from locally available raw materials using local technology and the production of biogas from food wastes and Human excreta generated within a University campus. The experiment lasted for 60 days using a 40-liters laboratory scale anaerobic digester. The volume of gas generated from the mixture was 84,750cm3 and comprised of 58% CH4, 24% CO2, and 19% H2S and other impurities. The physico-chemistry of the feedstock in the digester revealed an initial drop in pH to more acidic range and a steady increase 4.52 – 6.10. The temperature remained relatively constant at mesophilic range: 22.0ºC– 30.5ºC throughout the study. The Carbon/Nitrogen (C/N) ratio of the feedstock before digestion was within 139:1. Population distributions of the microflora show aerobic and anaerobic bacteria to include Klebsiella spp, Bacillus spp, Escherichia coli, Clostridium spp and a methanogen of the genera Methanococcus. In most developing nations of Sub-Saharan Africa where biomass is abundant, and where biogas technology is in its infant stage, the anaerobic digestion system could be the much awaited solution

Haematological Response of Clarias Gariepinus to Rubber Processing Effluent

Industrialization has led to huge waste generation over the last decades, the absence of adequate facilities for treating such wastes in most developing nations has led to the discharge of effluents into the environment without proper treatment. Toxicological effects of effluents from rubber processing plant (collected during the period of low rivertide i.e. between October 2012 and February 2013) were carried out in this study. Lethal concentration (96-h LC50) was evaluated using 0.25mg/L, 0.30mg/L, 0.35mg/L and 0.40mg/L while sub-lethal effects (42 days) was carried out on haematological parameters like Red Blood Cell (RBC), White Blood Cell (WBC), Haemoglobin (Hb), Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH) and Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) using 0.064mg/L, 0.048mg/L, 0.032mg/L and 0.016mg/L which are the 20%, 15%, 10% and 5% of the 96-h LC50 value. Mortality increased as the concentrations of the effluent increases and 0.32mg/L was obtained as LC50. In comparison with the control, the mean value obtained for PCV, HB and RBC showed significant differences (P<0.05) most especially at highest concentration while there was no significant difference in all values obtained for WBC, MCV, MCH and MCHC. It was concluded that the rubber processing effluent had some negative effect on the haematology of Clarias gariepinus. Therefore, it is recommended that the effluent should be properly treated before discharge into the environme

Acute toxicity of synyhetic resin effluent to African Catfish, Clarias gariepinus [BURCHELL, 1822].

Aquatic pollution as a field has gained a lot of attention over the decades majorly because of the vital role the aquatic environment plays in the human lifecycle. Indusrial wastewaters are often generated and discharged into the environment without treatment. Toxicity of effluents from Synythetic Resin production plant were evaluated in this study. Acute toxicity (96-h LC50) was evaluated using 0.23, 0.31, 0.35 and 0.39 mg/L of the effluent in a renewal bioassay procedure. Physicochemical parameters of the effluent were also evaluated, the values obtained for lead, cyanide, total suspened solid, total hadness, total dissolved solids and alkalinity were higher than the Federal Environmental Protection Agency standard specification for effluent discharge into aquatic environment and as such contributed to the effluent's toxicity. Mortality increased as the concentrations of the effluent increases and 0.355mg/L was obtained as LC50. The research eventually revealed that the synthetic resin effluent has a high level of toxicity to catfish. Deleterious effects such as biomagnification and other abberations may occur in man if exposed to substantial concentration of the effluent

Microbiological safety evaluation of street vended ready-to-eat fruits sold in Ota, Ogun state, Nigeria.

Microbiological safety evaluation of street vended ready to eat fruits was conducted in two vending sites, a local market and a University cafeteria. The mean total aerobic plate count ranges from 2.0x106 to 8.2x108 on Pineapple and Watermelon obtained from the local market and from 6.0x104 to 2.7x107 on apple and fruit salads from the University cafeteria. All the samples were contaminated with coliform and fungi with counts ranging from 2.2x105 to 4.2x106 and 2.0x101 to 1.0x103 in the samples from the cafeteria, and 2.0x105 to 3.5x106 and 2.0x102 to 1.1x103 for samples from the local market. Organisms identified include Bacillus spp 100%, S. aureus and Penicillium spp 80%, Aspergillus niger 60%, E. coli, Enterobacter, Salmonella, Klebsiella, Mucor spp 40%, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus, Micrococcus, and Lactobacillus spp 20%. The presence of coliform, and counts of ≥ 106 in most of the samples is a reflection of the sanitary quality of the processing of the produce and calls for concern. Adequate training of food vendors to maintain high standard of personal and environmental hygiene, proper washing of fruits before consumption, regular washing of hands and effective application of hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) will help control contamination of products

Assessment of Microbial Quality and Antibacterial Activity of Commonly used Hand Washes

Hands are the highways to the transmission and spread of pathogens that causes diseases, food borne illnesses and nosocomial infections. Hand washing is the act of cleansing the hands with water or another liquid, with or without the use of soap or other detergents, to ensure proper hand hygiene. To determine the microbiological quality and the antibacterial property and dilution effects on activity of hand wash, seven brands of hand washes were evaluated using susceptibility test by agar well diffusion, minimum inhibitory dilution and time kill test. This was done by assessing different dilutions of the hand washes against standardized 1.5x108 cells of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Results showed that all the hand washes were sterile and all the brands had some level of antibacterial activity. The hand washes were more active on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli than on Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Activity decreased with dilution as neat and 2-1 dilutions gave better results compared to 2-2, 10-1 and 10-2. Hib hand wash killed all test organisms when exposed for 2, 5 and 10 minutes and at neat and 2-1 dilutions but not at 2-2, 10-1 and 10-2. Rev and Pan hand washes though are sterile, were least active in all the tests. The minimum inhibitory dilution and minimum bactericidal dilution for most of the hand wash was at neat concentration. The time kill test showed that the effect of the hand wash was highest at 5 and 10 minutes and at neat (undiluted) for all the test organisms. It is advised that the dilution of hand washes a common practice in most eateries must stop as these products are not active when diluted, hands should be washed for five to ten minutes for maximum hand hygiene. Key words: Antibacterial Activity, Food Borne Illnesses, Hand Hygiene, Microbiological Quality, Nosocomial Infections and Pathogens

Assessment of Occupational Diseases among Artisans and Factory Workers in Ifo, Nigeria

The ever increasing incidences of occupational diseases among workers have continually drawn the attention of researchers towards ameliorating the situation. Investigation was launched to assess occupational diseases among artisans and factory workers in Ifo, Nigeria. Structured questionnaires with oral interview were employed to complement the health records of the respondents at the Government accredited health center. Of the one hundred and fifty six (156) respondents, ninety six (62%) are males and sixty one (38%) female, sixty one point fifty four percent (61.54%) are youths of age 20 to 39 years, fifty one (32.69%) are illiterates and one hundred and eight (69.21%) earn N100, 000 ($615) and below as monthly wages. The diseases prevalent in these workers were evaluated to include but not limited to disorders of muscles, bones, joints, skin and the respiratory organs indicating that most of the jobs are such that causes damages to these special parts of the body and could lead to deformities/incapacitation in old age. Common amongst these diseases are Pre-patellar bursitis and Eczema (1.92% each), Tuberculosis, Asthma and Sunburn (5.77% each). Toxic/inflammatory syndrome, hearing impairment, allergies and computer vision syndrome (7.69% each). Two (1.28% in each case) have been diagnosed of Lead poisoning, Lung cancer, Carpal tunnel syndrome, Pulmonary fibrosis, Meniscus lesion and Olecranon bursitis. Upper airway disorders (4.49%), Irritations (3.21%), Post-traumatic stress syndrome (11.54%), skin allergies (13.46%). Chronic bronchitis; Pneumonia; Pneumoconiosis; Hepatitis and Anthrax-like infection (0.64 % each). The causes of these diseases/disorders include dusts from quarry, textile, cotton, metal, paper, mineral, wood, cereals, cement, and chemical fumes industries, extreme posture of wrist, repetitive movements, inhalations from petrol fuel, prolonged pressure of the elbow region, prolonged kneeling/ squatting position, forceful exertions and microorganisms. Adequate occupational health and safety awareness through training and campaign should be provided. The use of personal protective equipment among workers should also be encouraged

Bioaccumulation Pattern of Cadmium and Lead in the Head Capsule and Body Muscle of Clarias gariepinus [Burchell, 1822] Exposed to Paint Emulsion Effluent

The toxicity of Sub-lethal concentrations of effluents from a paint emulsion industry were investigated on African catfish Clarias gariepinus in order to determine the bioaccumulation pattern of two heavy metals i.e., Lead and Cadmium in the Head capsule and Body muscle using a renewable static bioassay. The trend of bioconcentration of metals in the head capsule and muscle of the test organisms differs significantly (phead capsule. In the muscle, the highest bioaccumulation of lead was 0.4680 mg/L while the least was 0.0660 mg/L. Cadmium bioaccumulation in the head had the highest value to be 2.0424 mg/L while the lowest value was 0.0101 mg/L. In the head capsule on the other hand, the highest accumulation of lead was found to be 0.3918 mg/L while its lowest value was 0.1677 mg/L. The highest value for cadmium in the head capsule was 2.0249 mg/L while its lowest was 0.0058 mg/L. It was revealed in the study that fish can bioaccumulate heavy metals from a polluted environment, which often result in reduction or impairment of natural population size and could be a veritable source of these metals to man. Therefore corrective measures should be taken to avoid pollution of this sort in the environment

BIOCHEMICAL PROFILE OF CLARIAS GARIEPINUS EXPOSED TO SUB-LETHAL CONCENTRATIONS OF CHEMICAL ADDITIVES EFFLUENT.

Chemicals such as industrial effluents induces some level of alterations in the naturally occuring chemical composition of aquatic phase which in turn alters the behavioural, biochemistry, and general physiology of aquatic fauna among which is catfish, Clarias gariepinus. Chemical additives effluent was analysed to determine its physicochemical parameters. Part of the result conforms to the Federal Environmental Protection Agencies standard specification for effluent discharge into the aquatic environment while other parameters like TDS, TSS, and Alkalinity deviated from the standard. The fish, Clarias gariepinus was exposed to 0.25mg/L, 0.30mg/L, 0.35mg/L and 0.40mg/L concentrations of the effluent for 96 hours and the LC50 value for the acute toxicity was found to be 0.335223mg/L. The impact of long term exposure to the effluent was also evaluated through changes of selected biochemical parameters using the 20%, 10%, 5% and 2.5% of the 96-h LC50 value for 42 days.the parameters measured are glucose, total protein, cholesterol, albumin and globulin. All the parameters recorded a significant difference in their values as against the control except cholesterol. The alteration in all parameters was significantly concentration and time dependent and this could be attributed to stress behavioural response as a result of the toxicity of the effluent