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Milk remains vulnerable to microbial contamination due to favorable microenvironmental conditions. The objective of this study was to assess the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of bacterial isolates from raw cow milk obtained from four distinct bulk collection centers in Oyo, Southwest Nigeria. A total of 80 samples of raw cow milk were collected in aseptic conditions. A total of 20 samples were collected from each of the four bulk collection centers (Iseyin, Maya, Fashola, and Alaga) at different time intervals. Total viable bacteria count, isolation, and identification of bacteria, as well as antibiotic susceptibility testing by disc diffusion method, were performed. The findings revealed the presence of bacteria from five different genera, namely Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, Bacillus, Salmonella, and Escherichia in the raw cow milk samples. Antibiotic susceptibility testing demonstrated high sensitivity of the bacterial isolates to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and pefloxacin. This study provides additional evidence that raw cow milk serves as a conducive medium for the growth of various bacterial pathogens of medical significance. It is strongly recommended that proper aseptic techniques be implemented at the bulk collection centers to minimize the risk of bacterial contamination.

Background: C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays an important role in viral infection. However, it has been linked to helping the Zika virus (ZIKV) penetrate the placental barrier and infect the fetus as a result of its overexpression in pregnant women. Aim and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess CXCL10 expression levels in pregnant women infected with ZIKV RNA extracted from serum samples collected from seven pregnant women confirmed to be positive for ZIKV RNA using reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Gene expression studies were performed using qPCR to determine the CXCL10 expression levels in samples obtained from pregnant women infected with ZIKV. Material and Methods: Gene expression analysis revealed that CXCL10 was overexpressed in four of the seven samples. Results: CXCL10 overexpression was observed in samples with 4-, 24-, 27-, and 126-fold increases. The association between ZIKV infection and CXCL10 overexpression was statistically significant. Conclusion: The findings of this study confirmed CXCL10 overexpression during ZIKV infection and showed that CXCL10 can be used as a biomarker for the differential diagnosis of ZIKV infection.