Bacteriological and Physicochemical Qualities of Ebutte River in Ebutte Community, Uhunmwonde Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria

The bacteriological and physicochemical qualities of Ebutte River in Ebutte Community were carried out to ascertain the variation in the quality of the river between August, 2010 and January, 2011. The bacteriological and physicochemical assessments were studied using the basic microbiological techniques. The bacterial counts were shown to be highest in the inhabited point (3) while downstream (points 4 and 5) and upstream (points 1 and 2) recorded lower counts due to little or no human activities. The bacterial counts were higher than the acceptable limit of the WHO standards at all sampling points. The total viable counts ranged from 3.40 x 105 to 3.71 x 106cfu/ml for the months of August, 2010 to January, 2011. The bacterial counts were showed to be highest in the rainy season. The total coliform counts ranged from 27MPN/100ml to 350MPN/100ml while the faecal coliform counts ranged from 5MPN/100ml to 26MPN/100ml. The faecal Streptococci counts were recorded to range from <2MPN/100ml to 14MPN/100 and the Clostridium counts ranges from <2MPN/100ml to 6MPN/100ml. The bacterial isolates isolated and characterised includes eleven bacterial genera among which are Escherichia, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Enterobacter, Streptococcus, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Proteus, Clostridium and Shigella. The results of most of the physicochemical parameters analysed were shown to be higher at sampling point 3, which is the point that had direct effect of human activities. Similarly the values obtained for dissolved oxygen was shown to be lowest in the inhabited sampling point 3. Analysis of variance showed that there was a high significant difference (P<0.001) between total viable counts obtained in the two seasons while a significant difference (P<0.05) was obtained for total coliform counts and faecal coliform counts. Significant difference (P>0.05) was obtained for faecal Streptococci and Clostridium perfrigens counts. Correlation coefficient showed positive relationship between the total viable counts and some of the physicochemical parameters studied. The Ebutte River water quality studied based on the bacteriological and physicochemical parameters revealed that the human, animal and agricultural activities plays significant role in the contamination of the water source. @JASEMKeyword: Ebutte River, water quality, bacteriological and physicochemical parametersJ. Appl. Sci. Environ. Manage. Dec, 2011, Vol. 15 (4) 663- 67

Production potentials of anti-Plesiomonas shigelloides antibody

Out of the one hundred and fifty stool human samples screened for the prevalence of Plesiomonas shigelloides, only 3 (2%) were positive for the organisms. The positive isolates were used to produce P. shigelloides antibody in experimental animals (rabbits). Autopsy revealed marked inflammation of the liver, spleen and the kidney in the experimental animals not protected with the antibodies. This study showed that the trial rabbits were suitable for the production of antibodies against P. shigelloides, and further demonstrated the diagnostic and protective potentials of the antibodies.Keywords: Plesiomonas shigelloides, experimental animals, colloidal carbon particles, antibody and antiser

Microbiological And Physicochemical Analyses Of Oil Contaminated Soil From Major Motor Mechanic Workshops In Benin City Metropolis,Edo State, Nigeria

The ability of microorganisms to utilize used oil in contaminated soil from some selected major mechanic workshops in Benin City metropolis as sole source of carbon and energy was studied. Soil samples collected from the three major mechanic workshops at Igun, Evbareke and Uwelu Quarters in Benin City were analyzed for the microbiological and physicochemical qualities using the basic microbiological methods. The total heterotrophic bacterial counts from the three mechanic workshops ranges from 1.98 X 107 to 2.95 X 107cfu/g while the total heterotrophic fungal counts ranges from 6.7 X 106 to 9.2 X 106 cfu/g. The hydrocarbon utilizing microbial isolates were isolated using the Bushnell Haas enrichment techniques. The hydrocarbon utilizing microbial populations were recorded to range from 3.1 X 106 to 9.7 X 106cfu/g and 3.4 X 106 to 6.0 X 106 cfu/g for the bacterial and fungal counts respectively. The bacterial isolates include the genera Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Microococcus, Flavobacterium, Klebsiella, while the fungal isolates include the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Trichoderma and Yeast. The biodegradation potentials of the hydrocarbon degrading microbial isolates monitored by gas chromatography (GC) showed Pseudomonas sp. and Aspergillus versicolor to have recorded the highest biodegradation potentials among the microbial isolates. The frequency of occurrence of the microbial isolates revealed the microbial isolates Pseudomonas sp., Bacillus sp., Microococcus sp., Aspergillus versicolor, Trichoderma sp and Penicillium sp. as the most frequently occurring isolates. The physicochemical properties of the soil samples analysed shows the pH ranges from 5.63 to 6.01, percentage of carbon 2.345 to 4.800, total organic matter 1.59 to 7.81%, total petroleum hydrocarbon 86.10 to 286.50 mg/kg and sulphate 1.49 to 6.10ppm. The correlation analysis showed that there was significant difference in the mean values for both total heterotrophic bacterial and fungal population among the locations. It was also showed that there exist significant difference in the optical density and pH among the microbial isolates. @JASEMKeywords: Oil contaminated soil, microbial isolates, mechanical workshops and physicochemical parametersJ. Appl. Sci. Environ. Manage. Dec, 2011, Vol. 15 (4) 597 - 60

Influence of breweries effluent discharge on the microbiological and physicochemical quality of Ikpoba River, Nigeria

The bacteriological and physicochemical qualities of the Ikpoba River, Benin city was investigated to assessed the extent of pollution of the water due to effluent discharge from the two brewery industries in Benin City. The bacteriological parameters analyzed were total microbial population counts, which had values ranging from 1.0 x 103 to 4.8 x 103 cfu/ml and 1.3 x 107 to 5.7 x 107 cfu/ml for the fungal and bacterial isolates respectively. Total coliform counts ranged from 4.3 x 10 MPN/100 ml to 38.0 x 10 MPN/100 ml. Microorganisms isolated include Sacchromyces cereviceae, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium sp., Geotrichum sp. Candida sp., Proteus sp. Staphylococcus sp, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus faecalis and Bacillus sp. Physicochemical parameter studies revealed that Ikpoba river though show some parameters whose values are higher than the WHO tolerant levels. Others fall within the WHO acceptable limits. There is, therefore, contamination of the surface water due to the brewery effluent discharged, which could probably be hazardous to human health

Microbiological Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality of Two Major Hospitals in Benin City, Nigeria

Air contains large number of microorganisms including bacteria and fungi and their estimation is important as an index of cleanliness for any particular environment. It becomes imperative to undertake a study of the microbiological air quality of the airborne micro-flora in the environments of two major government hospitals, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and Central Hospital, in Benin City metropolis. Both indoor and outdoor air samples were assessed monthly for the three (3) months in the wet season (June – August, 2010) and dry season (November 2010 - January 2011) using the settled plate methods. The study sites were divided into nine (9) units which include accident and emergency ward, laboratory, male ward, female ward, children ward, labour room, treatment room, theatre and outside the hospital gate. The mean airborne bacterial load in the two hospitals ranges from 8.5cfu/min to 172.5cfu/min and 5.5cfu/min to 64.5cfu/min for UBTH and Central hospital in the wet season. While the mean airborne fungal load in UBTH and Central Hospital in dry season ranges from 2.5cfu/min to 9.5cfu/min and 1.5cfu/min to 19.0cfu/min respectively. The female ward, children ward, accident and emergency ward and outside the hospital gate recorded the highest airborne micro-flora. The result revealed the isolation of ten (10) fungal isolates and six (6) bacterial isolates. These include Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Botryodiplodia acerina, Rhizopus stolonifer, Nigospora zimm, Mucor sp., Monilla infuscans, Penicillium sp., Candida sp. and Trichoderma viridis while the six (6) bacterial isolates include Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus sp., Serratia marcescens and Micrococcus sp. The result shows the highest fungal population of 26.5cfu/min (outdoor) in UBTH followed by 24.0cfu/min (outdoor) in Central Hospital. The highest bacterial load of 172.5cfu/min (outdoor) was recorded in UBTH. The fungal isolates Aspergillus niger (53.0%) and Monilla infuscans (43.9%) were showed to be the most frequently isolated airborne fungal organisms while Staphylococcus aureus (91.3%) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (85.8%) were the most frequently isolated bacterial isolates. The statistical analysis showed no significant difference between the microbial population obtained during the wet and dry seasons in both hospitals studied. Data generated underline the usefulness of monitoring hospital environments

The microbiological, parasitological and physicochemical studies of waste refuse dumpsites in University of Benin (Ugbowo Campus), Benin City, Nigeria

This paper examined the effect of the refuse waste on the microbiological, parasitological and physicochemical properties on the immediate University of Benin Community. The microbiological, parasitological and physicochemical assessments were studied using the basic microbiological and parasitological techniques. The total heterotrophic bacterial counts ranged from 1.1 × 105 ±0.35 cfu/g to 5.4 × 105 ± 0.56 cfu/g and the total fungal counts ranged from 1.5 × 104 ± 0.42 cfu/g to 1.9 × 105 ± 0.14 cfu/g of the refuse dumpsites between August, 2011 and January, 2012. The bacterial counts were shown to be highest in Faculty of Agricultural Science refuse dumpsites in the month of September, 2011. The microbial isolates isolated and characterized includes nine bacterial genera and seven fungal genera, they include Bacillus, Enterobacter, Staphylococcus, Proteus mirabilis, Micrococcus, Pseudomonas, Serratia, Arthrobacter, Citrobacter and Aspergillus, Penicillium, Mucor, Rhizopus, Fusarium, Cladiosporium, Trichoderma respectively. The total mean value of the frequently isolated bacterial isolates were Micrococcus sp 400 (21.8%) and Bacillus sp 369 (20.1%) respectively. The most frequently isolated fungal isolates from the refuse dumpsites were Aspergillus spp and Penicillium spp with the mean values of 146 (23.4%) and 167 (26.8%) respectively. This study also showed the degree of dumpsites contamination with pathogenic parasites in the community. A total number of fourteen parasites were isolated and identified, they include Ascaris lumbricoides (4.1%), Taenia sp (33.8%), Ancyclostoma sp (5.0%), Tapeworm (25.7%), Taenia saginata (10.6%), Hymenolepsis sp (4.8%), Hymenolepsis diminuta (2.0%), Fasciola hepatica (6.2%), Capillaria hepatica (1.5%), Capillaria sp (3.2%), Aspiculus sp (0.5%), Ornithobiharzia sp (0.8%), Trichostrongylus (1.1%) and Syphacia obvelata (0.7%). The result of the physiochemical parameters showed the pH mean value of the pH range of the refuse dumpsites in the various Faculties for six months of sampling ranged between 5.21 ± 0.39 and 5.57 ± 0.24 with the highest pH was obtained in the Faculty of Management Sciences and the least pH mean value was obtained in the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences. The results of the metal contents were revealed to be within the permissible limit. Statistical analyses of the total heterotrophic bacterial counts and fungal counts revealed that there was significant difference (P>0.05) for the counts obtained from the refuse dumpsites between August, 2011 and January, 2012. Thus, it is recommended that the proper waste management system are essential and the practice of wastes management practices like waste re-use and recycling should be encouraged

Oxygen uptake kinetics Of Pseudomonas sp. strain VB grown under limiting concentration of 2-methoxyethanol

Oxygen uptake and 2-methoxyethanol oxidation kinetics of 2-methoxyethanol degrading bacterium Pseudomonas sp. strain VB were studied. The bacterium was grown under oxygen saturating conditions with limiting concentrations of 2-methoxyethanol. Pseudomonas sp. strain VB was found to utilize one mole of oxygen per one mole of 2-methoxyethanol as opposed to four moles of oxygen required for total oxidative metabolism. This indicates that intermediate metabolites are involved during the degradation of 2-methoxyethanol under aerobic conditions. Key Words: Oxygen uptake, 2-methoxyethanol, Pseudomonas sp. strain VB biodegradation. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol.3(7) 2004: 353-35

Airborne microflora in an hospital environment of University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City, Nigeria

A study was undertaken to determine typical concentrations of airborne bacteria and fungi (microflora) in Teaching Hospital environment in Benin City in the tropical rainforest environment of Nigeria. Aerial sampling wasconducted at various hospital wards each day. The air samples were collected thrice daily, that is, in the morning, between 8am and 10am, in the afternoon, between 12noon and 2pm and in the evening between 4pm and 6pm. Concentrations of airborne microflora exceeded available local guidelines for indoor quality in the accident and emergency ward, female ward, male ward, pediatric ward and the maternity ward, but not in the restricted wards like the theatre, intensive care unit and bacteriological laboratory. Results showed that the occupant density was the keyfactor influencing the levels of airborne microflora, while humidity was also observed as a factor, depending on the particular location with the hospital. The concentration of airborne bacteria and fungi in the nine different hospital units varied from wards to wards. The bacterial population ranges from 3.0cf/m3 to 76.0cf/m3, with the highest bacterial population recorded in the accident and emergency ward. The fungal population ranges from 6.0cf/m3 to 44.7cf/m3, while the highest fungal population was recorded in the accident and emergency ward. The microflora characterized and identified, were representative ofthe normal microflora of the human body (skin, gastrointestinal tracts, respiratory tract) and the opportunistic pathogens. The microbial isolates included six bacterial genera, among which are, Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermis, Escherichia coli, Bacillus sp. and Proteus mirabilis, the fugal isolates included, Aspergillus sp, Penicillium sp., Mucor sp., Candida sp and Verticillium sp. The variations in hospital units in concentrations of total airborne microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) in the air of hospital environments were statistically significant (p<0.001).The concentrations of airborne microflora recorded in the hospital environment, specifically in the accident and emergency ward was significantly different from other wards (p<0.001), with the mean value of 40.0 and 72.2 for fungal and bacterial population respectively

Antibacterial properties and preliminary phytochemical analysis of methanolic extract of mistletoe (Tapinanthus bangwensis

Tapinanthus bangwensis (Mistletoe) is a parasitic plant grown on citrus plant and a variety of other plants, used by most communities in Nigeria for the treatment and management of ailments such as diabetics, blood pressure, asthma, epilepsy, cancer of the ovary and breast and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The study was aimed at investigating the antibacterial properties and the phytochemical constituents of the leaves extract. Crude extract of Tapinanthus bangwensis leaves were screened for its antibacterial and phytochemical properties on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella pneumonia. The results showed that the extract at varying concentrations has antibacterial activity on the test organisms. The extract inhibited the growth of the bacterial isolates in a concentration dependent manner with MICs (minimum inhibitory concentration) ranging from 10 – 50mg/ml. Partial purification (Thin Layer Chromatography) of the crude extract revealed five (5) components. Characteristics of these components were viewed by Infrared and UV/VIS spectrophotometer showing the presence of alkaloid, saponin, tannin, steroid and flavonoid. The observed antibacterial activity was believed to be due to the presence of the phytochemical constituents. Keywords: Herbalism, Loranthanceae, Phytochemicals, Test organism

Antibacterial properties and preliminary phytochemical analysis of methanolic extract of Ocimum gratissium (Scent Leaves)

Methanolic extract of the leaves of Ocimum gratissium (scent leaves) was screened for its phytochemical and antibacterial properties on some clinical bacterial isolates, visa vie as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The agar diffusion technique was used to assay the growth inhibition against the four bacterial isolates. The antibacterial effect of the methanolic extract of Ocimum gratissium was compared to that of some selected commercially available antibiotics. The inhibitory effect of the methanolic extract was comparable at all concentrations tested to the commercially available antibiotics indicating the high potency of the methanolic extract O. gratissium. Results obtained showed, the extract inhibits the growth of the test isolates with diameter of zones of inhibition of 5mm to 10mm for P. aeruginosa, P. mirabilis, E. coli and S. aureus respectively. The Broth microdilution assay gave minimal inhibitory concentration values ranging from 13.5μg/ml to 15.0μg/ml. The result of the phytochemical analysis of the dried leaves extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrate and saponins. Keywords: Herbalism, Phytochemicals, Scent, Beni