In vitro antifungal activity of the soap formulation of the hexane leaf extract of morinda morindoides (morinda; rubiaceae)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to formulate the hexane extract of the leaves of Morinda morindoides (Baker) Milne-Redh (Rubiaceae) as soap and evaluate its antifungal activity against fungal isolates of human origin. Method: The hexane extract of Morinda morindoides was incorporated as an antifungal agent in soap (SMM) and tested against 4 strains of dermatophytes (Candida albicans, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Aspergillus fumigatus) using basic soap (BS) as control. Agar dilution method at serial concentrations ranging from 125 mg/ml to 3.9 mg/ml was used for the determination of the antimicrobial parameters - MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) and IC50 (concentration producing 50 % inhibition) for these strains.Result: The growth of all fungal strains tested was inhibited by the Morinda morindoides extract soap (SMM) at MIC of 31.25 mg/ml. On the other hand, basic soap (control) inhibited Candida albicans at MIC of 125 mg/ml and at MIC of 62.50 mg/ml for the other 3 strains tested. Thus, SMM showed stronger antifungal activity against the strains tested than the control (basic soap). Conclusion: The hexane extract of Morinda morindoides leaves incorporated in soap exerted antifungal activity against the fungal strains tested. Thus, this soap formulation may find use in the treatment of dermatomycoses.Keywords: Morinda morindoides; Antifungal activity; Hexane extract; Soap; Dermatophyte

Molecular characterization of extended spectrum beta-lactamase among clinical multidrug resistant Escherichia Coli in two hospitals of Niamey, Niger

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the multiple ESBL genes in Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli isolated in various biological samples in two hospitals of Niamey.Methodology: A total of 195 multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli were included in the study. These isolates were tested using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of the presence of bla CTX-M, bla TEM, bla SHV and bla OXA-1 beta-lactamase genes.Results: A total of 27.7% of Escherichia coli isolates were ESBL producing strains. Globaly, the bla TEM gene was the most prevalent (70.3%) followed by bla CTX-M (43.1%), bla OXA-1 (31.8%) and bla SHV (4.1%) genes. The four genes type of ESBL were founded simultaneously only in stool samples. Furthermore, none bla SHV gene was found in other samples type.Conclusion: This study showed the presence of various ESBL genes among clinical MDR Escherichia coli. That is why a rational use of antibiotic and appropriate methods of screening ESBL genes in routine laboratories in Niger is needed to control the ESBL genes dissemination.Keywords: MDR ,Escherichia coli, ESBL, bla genes, PCR, Niamey, Niger. Caracterisation moleculaire des betalactamases a spectre etendu chez les souches de Escherichia coli multi resistantes dans deux hopitaux de Niamey, au NigerObjectifs: Le but de cette étude était d'identifier les multiples gènes de BLSE chez les souches de Escherichia coli multi résistantes isolées de différents types d’échantillons biologiques dans deux hôpitaux de Niamey.Méthodologie : Un total de 195 Escherichia coli multi résistants a été inclus dans l'étude. Ces isolats ont été testés par la réaction de polymérase en chaîne (PCR) pour détecter la présence des gènes bla CTX-M, bla TEM, bla SHV et bla OXA-1.Résultats : Au total, 27,7% des isolats de Escherichia coli multi-résistants étaient des souches productrices de BLSE. Globalement le gène bla TEM (70,3%) était le plus détecté suivi des autres gènes bla CTX-M (43,1%), bla OXA-1 (31,8%) et bla SHV (4,1%). Notons que seul dans les échantillons de selles quatre types de gènes de BLSE ont été trouvés simultanément. Par ailleurs notons qu’aucun gène de type bla SHV n'a été trouvé dans les autres types d'échantillons.Conclusion : Cette étude avait montré la présence de divers gènes de BLSE chez les souches cliniques de Escherichia coli. C'est pourquoi une utilisation rationnelle des antibiotiques et des méthodes appropriées de dépistage des gènes de BLSE dans les laboratoires sont nécessaires afin de contrôler la diffusion des gènes de BLSE.Mots clés : Escherichia coli multi résistantes, BLSE, gènes bla, PCR, Niamey, Niger

Monitoring trends in urban growth and surveying city quarters in the city of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso using SPOT-XS

City planning agencies in developing countries lack important information on the generally rapid urban development which is taking place. Remote Sensing is a promising technique which provides that much needed information. A time series of four SPOT-XS images of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso is analyzed to assess the usefulness of SPOT imagery for urban planning, and to determine the growth of Ouagadougou between 1986 and 1997. Another research objective is to examine the possibilities which SPOT images offer for the socio-economic classification of city sections. Both traditional image classification methods and a new contextual approach are applied. The latter approach aims at identifying structural patterns within the city boundaries which can be used as indicators for district function and status. Aerial photos and field surveys are utilized as ground reference data. The conclusions are that SPOT images are useful in surveying urban expansion over time but that it is difficult to identify the socio-economic function of city districts. The 20 x 20 m spatial resolution is not sufficient to bring out some of the subtle pattern differences between the city quarters. The contextual approach yielded some promising results by separating squatter areas from others but it was not capable of differentiating pre-colonial parts and old periphery sections. High resolution images of the recently launched Ikonos satellite with a pixel size of 4 x 4 m may provide a better spatial resolution for the contextual approach

In vitro antifungal activity of the soap formulation of the hexane leaf extract of Morinda morindoides (Morinda; Rubiaceae)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to formulate the hexane extract of the leaves of Morinda morindoides (Baker) Milne-Redh (Rubiaceae) as soap and evaluate its antifungal activity against fungal isolates of human origin. Method: The hexane extract of Morinda morindoides was incorporated as an antifungal agent in soap (SMM) and tested against 4 strains of dermatophytes ( Candida albicans , Trichophyton rubrum , Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Aspergillus fumigatus ) using basic soap (BS) as control. Agar dilution method at serial concentrations ranging from 125 mg/ml to 3.9 mg/ml was used for the determination of the antimicrobial parameters - MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) and IC50 (concentration producing 50 % inhibition) for these strains. Result: The growth of all fungal strains tested was inhibited by the Morinda morindoides extract soap (SMM) at MIC of 31.25 mg/ml. On the other hand, basic soap (control) inhibited Candida albicans at MIC of 125 mg/ml and at MIC of 62.50 mg/ml for the other 3 strains tested. Thus, SMM showed stronger antifungal activity against the strains tested than the control (basic soap). Conclusion: The hexane extract of Morinda morindoides leaves incorporated in soap exerted antifungal activity against the fungal strains tested. Thus, this soap formulation may find use in the treatment of dermatomycoses