Anthrax outbreak: exploring its biological agents and public health implications

The (re)emergence of several infectious zoonoses underlines the need for the re-evaluation of the transmission patterns and key players responsible for effective inter-species transfer of diseases. Anthrax is caused by Bacillus anthracis, a zoonotic rod-shaped, Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium that is highly fatal to both human and animal populations. B. anthracis is widespread across several regions of the world, including Africa, Asia, southern Europe, North and South America, and Australia, and it has a remarkably high attendant impact on the sustainability and profitability of livestock. The current trend in the global distribution of anthrax necessitates an urgent contextual understanding of the key drivers of the spread of B. anthracis in different parts of the world toward the end goal of an anthrax-free world. The understanding of the drivers is integral for the development of control and preventive measures, and also the development of agents such as therapeutics and vaccines against B. anthracis. This review presents a holistic description of the transmission pattern and epidemiology of B. anthracis, and updates on the diagnostic techniques and approaches available for the detection of B. anthracis. In addition, this review highlights plausible prevention and control strategies for the bacterium. This review further underscores the need for participatory epidemiology, hygiene, and safety protocols, the establishment of comprehensive surveillance systems, and global collaborative efforts toward vaccine development as critical steps in controlling anthrax

Preliminary in vitro screening of some spices and medicinal plants from Edo and Rivers States, Nigeria for reducing enteric methane production in ruminants

Methane gas produced by ruminants during feed fermentation contributed to global warming as well as poor efficiency of food utilization.  Mitigating ruminal methane production through anti-microbial feed additive has serious health implications. A preliminary study of the potential of medicinal plants and spices from Edo and Rivers State, as possible replacement to antibiotic feed additives was carried out. Medicinal plants and  spices were purposefully sampled, dried at 40oC, milled and 10 mg was added with 190 mg of substrate in a preweighed nylon incubation bags. Bags and their contents were incubated using 30 mL of buffered rumen liquor in 100 mL syringes following the standard procedure of in vitro fermentation. Variables monitored were 24h total gas volume, short chain fatty acids (SCFA), methane (CH ) gas, dry matter degradability (DMD) as well as some chemical, cell wall and 4 anti-nutritive components. Results revealed that adding the medicinal plants and spices as feed additives did not depress gas production in most cases (19.5 – 29.50 mL, 17.75 – 30.00 mL and 12.00 – 29.00 mL for Edo medicinal plants, Edo spices and Rivers  medicinal plants respectively) and also did not depress DMD (> 50%). Azadirachta indica stem reduced CH4 production mostly by 53.56% while Dennttia tripetala did by 47.69% among the Edo medicinal plants and spices, respectively. In Rivers State, Amaranthus spinosus gave the highest value of 60.33% CH reduction. In the same bracket of similar and good CH4 reduction potentials were Alstonia boonei leaves (49.06%),  Newbouldia laevis root (41.50%), Euphorbia heterophyla (37.97%), Allium crispum (47.31%), Allium cepa (46.80%), Aframomum mueguata (46.54%), Capsicum annum (47.32%), Ageratum conyzoides (56.52%), Lagenaria breviflora (48.03%) and Centrosema molle (45.08%). All the medicinal plant and spices with potential for CH4 reduction had corresponding high SCFA 4 values (0.46 – 0.65 Mmol) with tannin (%) and saponin (%) contents of  0.011 – 17.50 and 0.01 – 2.40 respectively. Conclusively, the medicinal plants and spices demonstrated good potentials for reducing rumen methane production in vitro and may be subjected to further in vivo studies. Keywords: in vitro, spices, medicinal plants, methane production, ruminant

Creating livable subdivisions using stormwater, recycled water and groundwater

Integration of green infrastructure (comprising urban lakes, wetlands and parklands) within an urban centre subdivision can significantly improve its livability. Stormwater generated within the urban centre, which is often considered as water carrying significant amounts of pollutants, can be used to create green infrastructure within the subdivision. In addition, recently, “sewer mining” is being used to supplement the non-potable water for urban centres. This source of recycled water is primarily used to satisfy the water required to maintain healthy green infrastructure. Extensive research conducted in recent years have also led to the plan of utilizing constructed lakes and wetlands, as part of green infrastructures, for storing and improving stormwater quality. Furthermore, they serve as significant water features within an urban centre increasing property values. In this work, we present a case study of a local government area (LGA) in Western Sydney, to provide some insights on how using urban lakes (which besides serving as stormwater purifying system) can greatly add to recreational value to a subdivision. City Councils in Western Sydney have successfully created parklands and physical exercise amenities around these constructed wetlands and lakes. These areas attract a large number of visitors throughout the year. The beneficial value of the urban lakes is demonstrated by the increasing values of the properties which are located around these lakes. We conclude that by employing best practices for managing stormwater runoff provide both socioeconomic and environmental benefits to urban centres, and cansignificantly increase the economic value of the region