Emergence and spread of two SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest in Nigeria.

Identifying the dissemination patterns and impacts of a virus of economic or health importance during a pandemic is crucial, as it informs the public on policies for containment in order to reduce the spread of the virus. In this study, we integrated genomic and travel data to investigate the emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.318 and B.1.525 (Eta) variants of interest in Nigeria and the wider Africa region. By integrating travel data and phylogeographic reconstructions, we find that these two variants that arose during the second wave in Nigeria emerged from within Africa, with the B.1.525 from Nigeria, and then spread to other parts of the world. Data from this study show how regional connectivity of Nigeria drove the spread of these variants of interest to surrounding countries and those connected by air-traffic. Our findings demonstrate the power of genomic analysis when combined with mobility and epidemiological data to identify the drivers of transmission, as bidirectional transmission within and between African nations are grossly underestimated as seen in our import risk index estimates

The Predominant Lactic Acid Microorganisms of Spontaneously Fermented Amala, a Yam Food Product

Aim: Using Four (4) varieties of yam (Dioscorea rotundata), namely, TDr Pepa, TDr Amila, TDr Alumaco and TDr 95/19177 differences in the types of organisms responsible for spontaneous fermentation were evaluated. The organoleptic properties of the final food products were also subjected to testing, in order to determine if these properties were reproducible. Study Design: Using a Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications, the four varieties of yam were tested for significant differences in the characteristics of interest among the final products.  Place and Duration of Study: The present study was conducted between March and May 2016 at Ede. The yam tubers were sourced from the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan. Methodology: In a standardised spontaneous fermentation set-up, four varieties of yam, were sampled eight hourly over a period of 24 hours, for lactic acid microorganisms. Representative microbial populations that were incubated anaerobically were isolated, counted, identified and characterised using standard microbiological protocols. The final products were evaluated for their organoleptic properties. Results: The only isolated predominant lactic acid bacterial organisms was Lactobacillus brevis, while, Rhizopus spp, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Neurospora spp were identified as the representative lactic acid fungal isolates. The results revealed slight differences between the final products (amala samples) that were earlier processed using sun or oven-drying, although the differences were not statistically significant at p= .05 using  ANOVA (one-way analysis of variance). Conclusion: The present results confirmed that the prevailing microenvironment is the prime determinant of the predominant organisms in the fermentation process and consequently in the sensory properties of the final product. The present spontaneous fermentation data indicate that similar lactic acid organisms were isolated from the different yam varieties in the fermentation set up. The foregoing shows that the organoleptic characteristics specific to this test location may be reproduced using the isolated lactic acid microorganisms, perhaps on an industrial scale

Ebola Virus Epidemiology and Evolution in Nigeria

Containment limited the 2014 Nigerian Ebola virus (EBOV) disease outbreak to 20 reported cases and 8 fatalities. We present here clinical data and contact information for at least 19 case patients, and full-length EBOV genome sequences for 12 of the 20. The detailed contact data permits nearly complete reconstruction of the transmission tree for the outbreak. The EBOV genomic data are consistent with that tree. It confirms that there was a single source for the Nigerian infections, shows that the Nigerian EBOV lineage nests within a lineage previously seen in Liberia but is genetically distinct from it, and supports the conclusion that transmission from Nigeria to elsewhere did not occur