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Uncontrolled use of antibiotics has resulted in the emergence of resistant bacteria. It has necessitated the evaluation of antibacterial activities and phylo-diversity of Aloe vera (also called Aloe barbadensis) plants as antimicrobial agent in Nigeria. Biotyped enteric bacilli of 251 strains obtained from fecal samples of patients with various gastro-intestinal complications are profiled for antibiogram. Resistant biotypes were assayed for susceptibility to Aloe vera latex and further evaluated for time-kill kinetics and phylo-diversity. More than 30% of enteric bacilli, including Citrobacter freundii, Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis were resistant to cotrimoxazole, ciprofloxacin, and tetracycline respectively at MIC >16 µg/ml (p=0.004). Aloe vera latex significantly inhibited 39.5% resistant enteric biotypes with a significant average reduction of the viable count at 1xMIC and 2xMIC to less than 3.0 Log10CFU/mL after 24 hours. Flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids and anthraquinine in anti-enteric sap significantly correlated and regressed with antibacterial activity (p

BACKGROUND: Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) have very huge health-promoting benefits due to high nutritional composition; however, these fruits are potential reservoir of enteric food-borne pathogens causing major public health concerns. AIM: Characterization and phylo-analysis of implicated enteric bacteria strains in retailed Tomato fruits in southwest Nigeria were studied. METHODS: Ready to be retailed fresh tomato fruits were purchased from common food markets in southwest, Nigeria, which lies between latitudes 6° 21′ to 8° 30′ N and longitudes 2° 30′ to 5° 30′ E. Observation of sample storage potentials at different conditions and bio-typing of associated bacterial strains were carried out for consecutive 14 days. Enteric bacteria strains were genotyped with 16S rRNA assay and further profiled for antibiotic susceptibility to common antibiotics. High population rate frequently consume tomatoes. RESULTS: Early spoilage characterized with yellow fluid, fungal growth and visible lesions were observed at 25°C storage compare to few patches of lesion at 4°C after 14 days. Higher bacterial count of 4.0–7.18 Log CFU/g was recorded at ambient storage compare to refrigerated samples with more than 10% occurrence rate of Citrobacter spp., Klebsiella spp. and Enterobacter spp. Identified Citrobacter spp. and Klebsiella spp. showed 100% resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics (ceftazidime, cefuroxime, cefixime, ciprofloxacin, and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid). Two-resistant enteric bacteria strains, Klebsiella aerogenes B18 and Citrobacter freundii B27 obtained from Nigerian tomato clustered with Citrobacter strains in food (China), water strains (India, Poland, Malaysia), milk (Germany), and human fecal (China). CONCLUSION: Implicated multidrug-resistant enteric bacilli in retailed tomatoes can cause severe food-borne diseases which public oriented awareness, strategic farm to market surveillance are needed to be intensified.

Nutrition plays a very important role in the health promotion of individuals and brought about a global paradigm shift from pharmaceuticals to nutraceuticals. This is due to the high cost, non-availability, and side effects associated with the unregulated consumption of pharmaceuticals. Over the ages, nutraceuticals from food products were reported to contain bioactive compounds with great health and physiological benefits. This report reviews bioactive compounds in selected foods namely ginger (Zingiber officinale), turmeric (Curcuma longa), and garlic (Allium sativum) as potential natural therapeutics for ailments of cancer and heart-related diseases. Analytical profiles, functional activities, and characterization of these compounds were discussed with possible recommendations for the prospective treatment of diseases using these nutraceuticals.

Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is endemic in Nigeria and causes major economic losses due to the high rates of mortality and morbidity in infected domestic sheep and goats. The outbreak of PPR in some goat herds was observed in the Abeokuta area of Ogun State, Nigeria, between January and August, 2014. Amongst the herds affected were those of the research animal in the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta. The goat herds were located in the Directorate of the University Farms (DUFARMS), the University environments and Apakila. The goats were intensively managed on concentrates and Panicum maximiun grass. The morbidity rates were 80-100 per cent in all the herds while mortality rates varied from 10% to 70%. Disease diagnosis was based on history, clinical signs and Post-mortem lesions. Complicating secondary bacteria were isolated from nasal and ocular discharges, which isolated, identified and sensitivity results obtained from laboratory tests. Treatments were carried out with sensitive antibiotics, analgesics and fluid therapy in a symptomatic approach. We conclude that PPR is endemic in this area of study and is responsible for a great loss in goat production and poverty of the rural goat farmers. We recommend that vaccination against PPR in this study area be instituted to avert the deleterious effects of the disease.

Studies conducted on the bacterial flora of the respiratory tract in goats or sheep focused on the clinically ill, with fewer studies on the apparently healthy goats and sheep and the antibiogram of isolated organisms. This study was carried out on apparently healthy 54 goats and 43 sheep. A total of seven different bacterial species were isolated from the upper respiratory tracts of the apparently healthy small ruminants using colonial morphology, gram staining and biochemical characterization.Antibiotic sensitivity of the bacterial isolates was performed against 10 commonly prescribed antimicrobial agents and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the antibiotics was conducted. The overall occurrence rate of bacteria isolated are Pseudomonas spp (42.0% in caprine and 27.3% in ovine); Bacillus spp (36.9%, caprine; 40%, ovine); Mannheima spp, (9.2%, caprine; 23.6%, ovine); Escherichia coli (7.6%, caprine; 9.1%, ovine); Staphylococcus spp (2.5%, caprine); Pasteurellaspp(0.8%, caprine) and Streptococcus spp (0.8%, caprine). The isolation of Pasteurella multocida and Mannheimia haemolytica from the nasal cavity of apparently healthy goats and sheep in this study reflects their possible role in most common respiratory diseases encountered in these small ruminants. All the 174 (100%) isolates were resistant to Amoxicillin and 161 (92.5%) were resistant to Ceftriaxone. One hundred and sixty-eight (96.6%) isolates were sensitive to Ofloxacin and 140 (80.5%) were sensitive to both Gentamycin and Ciprofloxacin and 135 (77.6%) were sensitive to Perfloxin. Staphaureus was resistant to all the antibiotics used except Amoxicillin hence only Amoxicillin can be used for its treatment, while most isolates were susceptible to the antimicrobials tested, as demonstrated by higher MIC value. The emergence of antibiotic resistance to these pathogens may increase infectious disease burdens and make the rapeutic treatment more expensive.

Milk contaminated with antibiotic resistant bacteria can be a major threat to public health. This study wasconducted toinvestigate the antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial isolates from goat's milk in Abeokuta. Nine (9) bacteria species comprising 182 isolates were identified in 73 milk samples collected from six (6) different places located some 2 - 50 kilometers apart in Abeokuta. Isolation and identification of the bacteria species were carried out using standard microbiological procedures. The bacteria species were Pseudomonas spp (22.28%), Micrococcus spp (21.74%), Staphylococcus aureus (19.02%), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (15.22%), Enterobacter spp (8.70%), Bacillus spp (5.43%), Pasteurella spp (4.89%), Escherichia coli (2.17%), and Citrobacter spp (0.54%). Antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates and minimum inhibitory concentration were determined using a panel of 10 antibiotics by disc diffusion method and standard guidelines. The bacterial load from milk samples obtained in various locations are as follows:-DUFARMS,0.1-1.2x10 cfu/mL;Eweje, 0.6-1.2x10 cfu/mL; Odeda, 0.6-3.5x10 cfu/mL; Elite, 1.0-5.5x10 cfu/mL; Elega, 0.1- 2.52x10 cfu/mL; and Obantoko 0.16-1.04x10 cfu/mL. The mean counts were 0.54 ± 0.40x10 cfu/mL; 0.78 ±0.13x10 cfu/mL; 1.83±1.23x10 cfu/mL; 2.58 ±1.45x10 cfu/mL; 8.51 ±5.60x10 cfu/mL and 4.14 ±3.90 x10 cfu/mL respectively. Antibiotic susceptibility results showed that the organisms were 100% resistant to Amoxicillin,86.26% to Ceftriazone, 84.62% to Streptomycin, 82.42% to Chloramphenicol and 78.02% to Cotrimoxazol. However, the isolates were only 6.04% resistant to Ofloxacin and 11.54% to Pefloxacin suggesting that these might just be the only two antibiotics that the pathogens might respond to. In conclusion, microbes that are ordinarily commensals may be highly resistant to commonly used Antibiotics. This could pose serious problems in managing outbreaks associated these microbes. Reservoirs for bacterial resistance may be present in healthy animal populations and research is needed to accurately quantify the problem, propose and evaluate practicable solutions. There is the need to clarify the role of environmental factors, agents, and transmission of bacterial resistance in apparently healthy livestock.

Since Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 30th of January, 2020. Nigeria, with 343 cases and 10 deaths as at April 14, 2020 is classified as one of the countries at high risk of importation of the disease from China. The ability to limit and control local transmission after importation depends on the application and execution of strict measures of detection, prevention and control. The initial response of some percentage of the population was of doubt due to the ignorance of the far-reaching effect of the virus. More than 1,700 leaders of religious groups and communities in all 36 States and FCT were therefore sensitized to increase awareness level and consequences of COVID-19 among the populace. Major response activities were initiated before the first case was reported and were upgraded within weeks after the number of cases began to rise. Based on previous experience of perception, and awareness of other viral disease outbreaks, COVID-19 infection prevention and control interventions recommended by WHO are yet to be fully entrenched in the Nigerian public health system in order to reduce the general risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 from infected individuals. There is therefore the need to execute strict measures of detection, prevention and control and drive compliance with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and WHO guidelines in Nigeria.

1*, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6

Global prevalence of ESBL-biotypes poses a serious threat to public health as a result of severity and morbidity caused by beta-lactam encoded Escherichia coli. Therefore, the prevalent shiga toxigenic Escherichia coli of ESBL variant was investigated in various retailed food animals and cooking materials. A total of 823 samples consisting of raw meat (297) and fish (132) samples retailed at various major markets in Ibadan were collected and 394 swabs were taken from the butchers' processing tables and utensils used in retailing meat and fish. The samples were cultured and biotyped for Escherichia coli. Serological and PCR assay were used to identify O157:H7 variant and antibiotics resistant determinants. Genetic relatedness of characterized E. coli O157 from human and meat products was evaluated with phylogenetic analysis. Of all the isolates, 130 (15.8%) were E. coli and only 8 (1.0) were O157:H7 while 4 (50%) were resistant to one or more antibiotics with resistance index ranging from 0.1 to 0.5. More than 25% E. coli O157:H7 were resistant to Ampicillin, Pefloxacin and Gentamicin and blaSHV and blaCTX-M were detected in 1/8 (12.5%) of E. coli O157:H7 and blaTEM 3/8 (37.5%) respectively. Only 1 genotyped human Escherichia coli .0157:H7 clustered with beef strain There is evidence of blaTEM encoded E. coli O157:H7 causing infection in human from food animals retailed in many markets within various communities. Therefore, urgent surveillance with public health education, food, and environmental hygiene are highly needed to prevent its spread.

Ascorbic acid is an essential vitamin for the optimal growth of most animals including humans. The complexity and expensive nature of ascorbic acid production necessitates the development of a relatively simple and cost-effective method for its production. Hence, this study explored the potential of a somatic hybrid (fusant cell) of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus tamarii for enhanced production of ascorbic acid. Optimization studies of the ascorbic acid fermentation processes were performed at pH range of 4–8, temperature range of 30–45 °C and agitation speed range 60–160 rpm for 96 h of fermentation. Quantification of the ascorbic acid produced was done titrimetrically. There was significant difference (P 0.05) on ascorbic acid production. The study revealed that maximal ascorbic acid production of 9.95 g/L was obtained at pH 5.0, temperature 40 °C and agitation speed of 100 rpm at 96 h of fermentation. This study shows the potential of fusant cell for enhanced ascorbic acid production.

Traditional fermented foods are of major importance with respect to the socio-economic growth, food security, nutrition, and health of African consumers. In several African countries, traditional fermentation processes provide a means of food preservation, improving the shelf life and adding to the nutrients in the food products. As with any fermented foods, the associated food microbiota is of great importance and interest. Recent studies on the microbiome of African fermented foods using high-throughput DNA sequencing techniques have revealed the presence of diverse microbial populations of fundamental, technological, and commercial interest that could be harnessed to further improve health, food safety, and quality. This review provides an overview of African fermented foods, their microbiota, and the health-promoting potential of these foods and microbes.

Diet plays an essential role in human development and growth, contributing to health and well-being. The socio-economic values, cultural perspectives, and dietary formulation in sub-Saharan Africa can influence gut health and disease prevention. The vast microbial ecosystems in the human gut frequently interrelate to maintain a healthy, well-coordinated cellular and humoral immune signalling to prevent metabolic dysfunction, pathogen dominance, and induction of systemic diseases. The diverse indigenous diets could differentially act as biotherapeutics to modulate microbial abundance and population characteristics. Such modulation could prevent stunted growth, malnutrition, induction of bowel diseases, attenuated immune responses, and mortality, particularly among infants. Understanding the associations between specific indigenous African diets and the predictability of the dynamics of gut bacteria genera promises potential biotherapeutics towards improving the prevention, control, and treatment of microbiome-associated diseases such as cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The dietary influence of many African diets (especially grain-base such as millet, maize, brown rice, sorghum, soya, and tapioca) promotes gut lining integrity, immune tolerance towards the microbiota, and its associated immune and inflammatory responses. A fibre-rich diet is a promising biotherapeutic candidate that could effectively modulate inflammatory mediators’ expression associated with immune cell migration, lymphoid tissue maturation, and signalling pathways. It could also modulate the stimulation of cytokines and chemokines involved in ensuring balance for long-term microbiome programming. The interplay between host and gut microbial digestion is complex; microbes using and competing for dietary and endogenous proteins are often attributable to variances in the comparative abundances of Enterobacteriaceae taxa. Many auto-inducers could initiate the process of quorum sensing and mammalian epinephrine host cell signalling system. It could also downregulate inflammatory signals with microbiota tumour taxa that could trigger colorectal cancer initiation, metabolic type 2 diabetes, and inflammatory bowel diseases. The exploitation of essential biotherapeutic molecules derived from fibre-rich indigenous diet promises food substances for the downregulation of inflammatory signalling that could be harmful to gut microbiota ecological balance and improved immune response modulation.

Highlights • We established the introduction of diverse sub-Lineages of Lineage B into Africa within the first few months of the SARSCoV-2 outbreak. • The evolutionary rate of SARSCoV-2 sequences in Africa is consistent with previous reports indicating congruence with global viral evolution. • The G614 spike protein mutant was the most prevalent in this study., Background The ongoing SARSCoV-2 pandemic was introduced into Africa on 14th February 2020 and has rapidly spread across the continent causing severe public health crisis and mortality. We investigated the genetic diversity and evolution of this virus during the early outbreak months between 14th February to 24th April 2020, using whole genome sequences. Methods We performed recombination analysis against closely related CoV, Bayesian time scaled phylogeny and investigated spike protein amino acid mutations. Results recombination signals were observed between the AfrSARSCoV-2 sequences and reference sequences within the RdRPs and S genes. The evolutionary rate of the AfrSARSCoV-2 was 4.133 × 10-4 Highest Posterior Density (HPD 4.132 × 10-4 to 4.134 × 10-4) substitutions/site/year. The time to most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) of the African strains was December 7th 2019, (95% HPD November 12th 2019-December 29th 2019). The AfrSARCoV-2 sequences diversified into two lineages A and B with B being more diverse with multiple sub-lineages confirmed by both maximum clade credibility (MCC) tree and PANGOLIN software. There was a high prevalence of the D614-G spike protein amino acid mutation 59/69(82.61%) among the African strains. Conclusion This study has revealed a rapidly diversifying viral population with the G614 spike protein variant dominating, we advocate for up scaling NGS sequencing platforms across Africa to enhance surveillance and aid control effort of SARSCoV-2 in Africa.

The ongoing SARSCoV-2 pandemic was introduced into Africa on 14th February 2020 and has rapidly spread across the continent causing severe public health crisis and mortality. We investigated the genetic diversity and evolution of this virus during the early outbreak months using whole genome sequences. We performed; recombination analysis against closely related CoV, Bayesian time scaled phylogeny and investigated spike protein amino acid mutations. Results from our analysis showed recombination signals between the AfrSARSCoV-2 sequences and reference sequences within the N and S genes. The evolutionary rate of the AfrSARSCoV-2 was 4.133 × 10−4 high posterior density HPD (4.132 × 10−4 to 4.134 × 10−4) substitutions/site/year. The time to most recent common ancestor TMRCA of the African strains was December 7th 2019. The AfrSARCoV-2 sequences diversified into two lineages A and B with B being more diverse with multiple sub-lineages confirmed by both maximum clade credibility MCC tree and PANGOLIN software. There was a high prevalence of the D614-G spike protein amino acid mutation (82.61%) among the African strains. Our study has revealed a rapidly diversifying viral population with the G614 spike protein variant dominating, we advocate for up scaling NGS sequencing platforms across Africa to enhance surveillance and aid control effort of SARSCoV-2 in Africa.

Bats have been shown to serve as reservoir host of various viral agents including coronaviruses. They have also been associated with the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. This has made them an all important agent for CoV evolution and transmission. Our objective in this study was to investigate the dispersal, phylogenomics and evolution ofbetacoronavirus(βCoV) among African bats. We retrieved sequence data from established databases such as GenBank and Virus Pathogen Resource, covering the partial RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) gene of Bat coronaviruses from eight African, three Asian, five European, two South American countries and Australia. We analyzed for Phylogeographic information relating to genetic diversity and evolutionary dynamics. Our study revealed that majority of the African strains fell withinNorbecovirussubgenera, with an Evolutionary rate of 1.301 × 10−3, HPD (1.064 × 10−3– 1.434 × 10−3) subs/site/year. The African strains diversified into three main subgenera,Norbecovirus, HibecovirusandMarbecovirus. The time to most common recent ancestor forNorbecovirusstrains was 1968, and 2010, for the AfricanMarbecovirusstrains. There was evidence of inter species transmission ofNorbecovirusamong bats in Cameroun and DRC. Phlylogeography showed that there were inter-continental spread of Bt-CoV from Europe, China and Hong Kong into Central and Southern Africa, highlighting the possibility of long distance transmission. Our study has elucidated the possible evolutionary origins of βCoV among African bats, we therefore advocate for broader studies of whole genome sequences of BtCoV to further understand the drivers for their emergence and zoonotic spillovers into human population.

The aim of the study was to comparatively analyze the interrelationships among iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and total hydrocarbons (THCs) in the gills, intestines and muscles of Clarias gariepinus collected from Osse River, Nigeria, between the periods of April, 2013 to September, 2014. The trace metals in the fish tissues were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS, Philips model PU 9100), while total hydrocarbons were analyzed using High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC,Prominence Dual brand from HGE) equipped with a detector Shimadzu UV-Visible (UV-Vis Prominence SPD 20 A). The concentrations of trace metals and THCs in the tissues were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA), in conjunction with hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), backed up by correlation analysis (CA). In the most prioritized component among the hierarchies of contaminants, characterized as principal component 1, results of communality extractions and rotated component matrices revealed the order of contaminants was Mn > Cu > Zn > Fe > Cr in the intestines, Cr > Cu > THCs > Mn > Fe in the muscle, while Pb > Cr > Fe > Mn was the order in the gills of the fish. Iron inhibited accumulation of the other trace metals in the gills, where its threshold of essentiality was maximal. Noteworthy is the fact that Mn and Cu were the most active components in the muscle and concurrently of excess concentrations in the tissue, which is the major edible part of fish, and constitutes its main body weight, hence holds its nutritional and economic values. High level of variability which occurred in the toxicant profile across the tissues of C. gariepinus is a function of uptake route, varied organ functions and specificity of tissue permeability of the compared organs. The study demonstrated variability in organ accumulation capacity and toxicant’s competitiveness irrespective of bioavailability. The study provides data useful for future ecotoxicological studies and safety of consumers of the fish.

Purpose: Increasing rates of clonal spread of fecal blaTEM bacilli remains a huge concern to the community health with resultant high morbidity. The fecal carriage and clonal diversity of blaTEM within the communities in Southwest Nigeria were surveyed. Materials and methods: Enteric bacilli obtained from fresh fecal samples randomly collected from community residents were biotyped and profiled for antibiotic susceptibility. Resistant strains were typed for beta-lactamase, extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL), AmpC and carbapenemase production while the R-plasmid carriage was detected and mating activities were examined. The presence of blaTEM gene was assayed by PCR and its phylodiversity determined with 16sRNA genomic profiling. Results: Escherichia coli have the highest (28.6%) occurrence rate and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20.5%) showing significant resistance to beta-lactamase inhibitors (ampicillin, cefuroxime and cefotaxime), and high-level multidrug resistance of more than 15.2% rate to ampicillin, cefuroxime, ceftazidime, tetracycline and imipenem. E. coli and Klebsiella oxytoca, are the highest beta-lactamase, ESBL and AmpC producers encoded with high molecular weight R-plasmid (>11.0 kbp) and significant rate of conjugation and transformational activities. Only 2/14, 1/13 and 1/6 ESBL-type of E. coli, K. oxytoca and Enterobacter cloaca, expressed blaTEM gene, clustering into five different phylodiverse groups with close genomic relatedness with other bacilli. Conclusion: This is an indication of clonal dissemination of ESBL blaTEM encoded enteric bacilli having high phylodiverse characteristics through fecal carriage in the Nigerian community which requires public health education, food and environmental hygiene for its prevention

Purpose Increasing rates of clonal spread of fecal blaTEM bacilli remains a huge concern to the community health with resultant high morbidity. The fecal carriage and clonal diversity of blaTEM within the communities in Southwest Nigeria were surveyed. Materials and methods Enteric bacilli obtained from fresh fecal samples randomly collected from community residents were biotyped and profiled for antibiotic susceptibility. Resistant strains were typed for beta-lactamase, extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL), AmpC and carbapenemase production while the R-plasmid carriage was detected and mating activities were examined. The presence of blaTEM gene was assayed by PCR and its phylodiversity determined with 16sRNA genomic profiling. Results Escherichia coli have the highest (28.6%) occurrence rate and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20.5%) showing significant resistance to beta-lactamase inhibitors (ampicillin, cefuroxime and cefotaxime), and high-level multidrug resistance of more than 15.2% rate to ampicillin, cefuroxime, ceftazidime, tetracycline and imipenem. E. coli and Klebsiella oxytoca, are the highest beta-lactamase, ESBL and AmpC producers encoded with high molecular weight R-plasmid (>11.0 kbp) and significant rate of conjugation and transformational activities. Only 2/14, 1/13 and 1/6 ESBL-type of E. coli, K. oxytoca and Enterobacter cloaca, expressed blaTEM gene, clustering into five different phylodiverse groups with close genomic relatedness with other bacilli. Conclusion This is an indication of clonal dissemination of ESBL blaTEM encoded enteric bacilli having high phylodiverse characteristics through fecal carriage in the Nigerian community which requires public health education, food and environmental hygiene for its prevention.

This study examined the prevalence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in clinical samples of patients in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria using standard recommended procedures. A total of 338 clinical specimens of Pus, Aspirate, Ear and Wound swabs were collected from three major health facilities in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Each sample was cultured for bacteria isolates and examined for colonial and cellular morphology while biochemical identification was performed. Of the clinical samples collected, 50.3% were collected from male and highest rate of 37.9% was from age group 0-9 years and least rate of 7.6% was from age 10-19 and 40-49years. Only 32.9% samples were ear swabs, wound swabs (29.2%) and lowest rate of 16.8% for aspirate. Of the 161 Staphylococcus aureus (32.2%) isolated; there was no significant disparity found in relation to the study sites (c2=7.145, p-value = 0.308). The present study indicated a high prevalence rate of MRSA that require empirical and urgent intervention to prevent staphylococcal infection among the hospital patients and its outbreak.

Global prevalence of ESBL-biotypes poses a serious threat to public health as a result of severity and morbidity caused by beta-lactam encoded

Escherichia coli is classified based on their pathogenicity factor, the strain E. coli O157:H7 is implicated in diarrhoea leading to haemolytic uremic syndrome. Therefore this study identified E. coli O157:H7, virulence and quinolone/fluoroquinolone resistant genes in Escherichia coli isolates from meat. Isolates of Escherichia coli from meat were identified by standard laboratory methods using Microbact GNB 12E (Oxoid), E. coli O157:H7 was identified by serotyping and the presence of virulence gene was determined by molecular methods. Antibiotic susceptibility of E. coli and quinolone/fluoroquinolone resistance (qnr) genes were determined using disc diffusion and molecular methods respectively. Out of the 130 E. coli identified, 72 (55.4%) were resistant to at least one or more of the antibiotics tested including quinolone/fluoroquinolones. E. coli O157:H7 were detected serologically 5 (3.9%) and by the multiplex PCR 8 (6.2%) out of which, 2 (25%) carried eaeA, hly, rfbE and flich genes, 7 1(12.5%) carries eaeA, rfbE and hly genes, 1(12.5%) carries hly, rfbE, flich and stx2 genes, 3(37.5%) 7 carries hly, rfbE and flich genes, 1 (12.5%) carries rfbE and hly genes while none of the isolates have 7 stx1 genes. Quinolone resistant genes (qnr) was harboured by 41 (56.9%) of which 5 (3.9%) and 36(27.7%) isolates carried qnrA and qnrB, respectively. Only 2 (50%) of the E. coli O157:H7 harbour qnrB, no qnrA was detected. The E. coli isolated from meat carries virulence and qnr resistance gene which could be potential vehicles for spread of multi-drug resistant to humans.

Bacterial resistance to antibiotic in food animals is an emerging public health concern as a result of increasing multi-resistant bacteria found in Abeokuta. Therefore, occurrence rate and resistant profile of the emerging enteric pathogens were determined in food animals in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Fecal and rectal samples of 82 were randomly collected from food animal such as sheep (30), chicken (37) and pigs (15) in three major farms located in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Enteric bacteria isolates obtained were cultured and identified according to standard protocol. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed by disc diffusion method and standard micro-tube dilution assay and resistance profile was carried out. Among the food animal surveyed for resistant enteric pathogens, 46% and 36% were chicken and sheep respectively while 18% were pigs. Complete resistance of 100% was shown by all the enteric bacteria obtained to metronidazole, tetracycline and penicillin while highest rate of Proteus mirabilis (33.5%) and Escherichia coli (20.1%) were multiresistant strains. Uncontrolled use of antimicrobial agents in food animals is shown to be associated with increasing emergence of antimicrobial resistance in food-borne pathogens which could enhance treatment failure and increase morbidity or death among the populace. Keywords: multi-resistant, bacteria, antibiotics, food, animals ,pathogens

Aim: To study the emergence of the community-acquire CTX-M beta-lactamase genes among the residents in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Study Design: To determine the prevalence rate of CTX-M beta-lactamase genes in enteric multiresistant ESBL isolates found among the Abeokuta residents. Place of Study: Abeokuta, Nigeria between August 2010 and March 2013. Methodology: Beta-lactamase and ESBL producing enteric bacteria were identified and their antimicrobial susceptibility was tested against commonly used antibiotics. Mating activity of the Original Research Article Akinduti et al.; BMRJ, 5(4): 351-358, 2015; Article no.BMRJ.2015.036 352 isolates was evaluated and their plasmid was profiled while a CTX-M chromosomal gene was assayed by PCR. Results: Of the 27.4% beta-lactamase producers obtained, only 5.1% of the strains were ESBL and 2.8% harboured blaCTX-M genes. High resistance rate of 91.0% by Escherichia coli and Klebsiella oxytoca to commonly used antibiotics was observed. Conclusion: There is urgent need to curb the community spread of undetected mobile genetic elements of CTX-M-encoded enteric bacteria among the residents in this community and if this persists, a possible outbreak of enteric infection caused by resistant organisms is eminent.

Aim: Potential risk factors and prevalence associated with Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) infection in apparently healthy children in Nigeria were studied. Study Design : To investigate the current potential risk factors associated with recent prevalence of H. pylori in apparently healthy children in Nigeria. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in two Local Government Areas, Alimosho and Ajeromi, of Lagos State, Nigeria between March and September 2014. Methodology: Seroprevalence status of 185 asymptomatic children made up of 93 males and 92 females, aged between 2 - 16 years were selected by randomized stratified sampling with descriptive questionnaire. Serum immunoglobulin G H. pylori antibody of the individual subje cts was determined using DiaSpot H. pylori kit while fecal samples of same group were analysed for

This study was carried out to identify the Salmonella serotypes causing high mortality in chickens in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states, Nigeria. Chickens presented for postmortem examination during disease outbreaks that were characterised by high mortality (40 per cent to 80 per cent) in poultry farms in the study area were examined from January to December, 2013. Samples of the lungs, heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, proventriculus, intestine and caecum were collected from suspected cases of salmonellosis, for bacterial culture and identification. Salmonella isolates were confirmed using PCR and serotyped using the Kauffman-White scheme. Twenty-six day-old pullets were raised to two weeks and inoculated orally with 0.2 mL of 1×108 colony forming units of Salmonella Zega identified in the present study to determine their pathogenicity, while another 26 served as control. The Salmonella serotypes were S Zega (n=13; 35.14 per cent), Salmonella Kentucky (n=9; 24.32 per cent), Salmonella Herston (n=6; 16.22 per cent), Salmonella Nima (n=4; 10.81 per cent), Salmonella Telelkebir (n=3; 8.11 per cent), Salmonella Colindale (n=1; 2.70 per cent) and Salmonella Tshiongwe (n=1; 2.70 per cent). Clinical signs in both natural and experimental infections were acute (70 per cent) and chronic (30 per cent), and included weakness, anorexia, yellowish diarrhoea, pasted vents, somnolescence and mortality, while gross lesions showed marked pulmonary congestion and oedema, necrotic foci in the myocardium; the liver, spleen and kidneys were markedly enlarged and had subcapsular multifocal necrosis. There were catarrhal proventriculitis and enteritis, and haemorrhagic typhlitis. While most of the serotypes identified in the present study have been isolated from poultry sources from commercial farms in Nigeria, to the best of the authors' knowledge, they have not been previously reported to cause high mortality in chickens in the study area.

Methicillin resistant S. aureus from cows with mastitis has received a growing interest worldwide. The present study aimed to provide a detailed description of the resistance and virulence traits of isolates from bovine mastitis samples. A total of 550 quarter milk samples were collected from 140 mastitic household dairy cows and buffalo from five herds at Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt, during 2017 and 2018. Staphylococcus spp. were isolated and differentiated using MALDI-TOF MS. A genotypic characterization was performed for S. aureus isolates using DNA-microarray and staphylococcal protein A (spa) typing. Furthermore, antibiotic resistances were phenotypically confirmed using broth microdilution. Six different clonal lineages (CC1-MRSA, CC5-MRSA, CC45-MRSA, CC97-MSSA, CC50-MSSA and CC1153-MSSA), including seven spa types (t127, t688, t132, t267, t521, t224 and t903) were identified. Spa type t267 was the most dominant among the investigated herds. This is the first report of the occurrence of clonal lineages CC97, CC1, CC45, CC50 and CC1153 from bovine mastitis in Egypt. All MRSA isolates and 33.3 % of MSSA were multi-resistant (i.e. resistant to more than three classes of compounds). Various virulence determinants were also observed including leukocidins, hemolysins, and enterotoxins. The study demonstrates a low diversity of S. aureus isolates recovered from several dairy herds. The findings of the observed virulotypes can be useful for future studies on anti-virulence therapies, immunogenicity and vaccine development.

A comparative study was conducted to evaluate haemagglutination potential in the haemolymph of two species of giant African land snails (Archachatina marginata and Achatina achatina). Three liveweight groups of snails (100 g, 101-150 g and150 g) were used with 4 replicates per liveweight per species for haemagglutination assay (HA). The effect of aestivation on haemagglutination potential was also evaluated. Erythrocytes (2%) from cattle, sheep, goat and chicken were used for HA assay. Results showed that agglutinin-like substances that agglutinate erythrocytes of sheep, goat, cattle and chicken were present in the haemolymph of the two species of giant African land snails. Effect of species was found to be significant (P0.001) on haemagglutination titre. Haemolymph of A. marginata, had higher haemagglutination titre than that of A. achatina across the three liveweight groups used in this study. Snail liveweight had no significant effect (P0.05) on agglutinin content of the haemolymph in both species. Agglutination level depended on the source of erythrocyte used. Sheep erythrocyte recorded the highest haemagglutination titre, followed by goat, cattle, and chicken in that order. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence that Giant African land snails (GALS) haemolymph contain agglutinins as previously reported for Helix species. This evidence may be the basis for its survivability in the wild and thus establish the use of GALS for African herbal medicinal applications.

Commonly used methods for determination of antibacterial potency of honey are usually the disc, agar well diffusion and dilution plate assay which had shown various demerit of inaccuracies and impreciseness. Therefore, the suitability of spectrophotometric assay for determination of honey inhibitory activity is evaluated in this study. Honeys from different sources in southwest states in Nigeria were assayed for antibacterial activity using 96-well micro-titre plate spectrophotometric methods to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against enteric bacteria strains. The honey inhibition assay of Nigerian honeys tested against enteric bacilli showed more than 90% inhibitory activity. Among all the honeys sample assayed, only two honeys reveal a very low MIC of 31.25 and 125mg/mL. The use of spectrophotometry is a precise method to determine honey inhibitory rate and it is proven to be suitable highly sensitive, reproducible, specific, reduced cost, fewer amounts of sample and reagent are required.

Diarrhoeal disease kills about 1.5 million human beings per year across the continents. The enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) pathotype has been noted as a major cause of diarrheal disease in human and livestock. The aim of this study is to identify broad-spectrum molecular targets in bacteria and broad-spectrum lead compounds (functional inhibitors) with high efficacy and no significant adverse implication on human systems, in relevance to diarrhea therapy through computational approaches which include phylogenetics, target prediction, molecular docking, and molecular flexibility dynamic simulations. Three molecular target genes, murA, dxr, and DnaE, which code for uridine diphosphate- N-acetylglucosamine-1-carboxyvinyltransferase, 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase, and deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase III alpha subunit, respectively, were found to be highly conserved in 7 diarrhea-causing microbes. In addition, 21 potential compounds identified showed varied degree of affinity to these enzymes. At free energy cutoff of −8.0 kcal/mol, the highest effective molecular target was DNA polymerase III alpha subunit (PDB ID: 4JOM) followed by UDP- N-acetylglucosamine-1-carboxyvinyltransferase (PDB ID: 5UJS), and 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase (PDB ID: 1ONN), while the highest effective lead compound was N-coeleneterazine followed by amphotericin B, MMV010576, MMV687800, MMV028694, azithromycin, and diphenoxylate. The flexibility dynamics of DNA polymerase III alpha subunit unraveled the atomic fluctuation which potentially implicated Asp593 as unstable active site amino acid residue. In conclusion, bacteria DnaE gene or its protein is a highly promising molecular target for the next generation of antibacterial drugs of the class of N-coeleneterazine.

The study investigated oxidative stress induced by Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in selected palaemonid shrimps. The shrimps were fed with Aflatoxin B1 of 0, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 40 μg/kg in mixtures of shrimp feed. The impact s of the concentrations on the growth rate of the shrimps and the induced Oxidative stress were assessed. Growth rate was estimated using standard growth rate, mean weight gain, feed conversion rate and survival rate; while oxidative stress was estimated using levels of Superoxide dismutase (SOD). Generally, AFB 1 of 40 μg/kg bw highly impacted the growth of all species, followed by 20 μg/kg bw. i.e. the shrimps in the treatment elicited significantly reduced standard growth rate and mean weight gain. Elevated concentrations of SOD detected in all shrimp species at AFB1 concentration of 20 μg/kg bw, particularly 40 μg/kg bw further supported the toxicity observations in the treatments. According to the profile of antioxidant activities and growth analysis, the trend of resilience to AFB 1 was: Macrobrachium vollenhovenii >Macrobrachium macrobrachion >Macrobrachium dux >Macrobrachium fellicinium > Palaemon maculatus > Nematopalaemon hastatus. This implies that M. vollenhovenii followed by M. macrobrachium have higher success potentials in small and middle scale shrimp farms vulnerable to aflatoxin exposure. Palaemonid shrimp farm feeds should be regularly screened to ensure the concentration of AFB1 does not exceed 10 μg/kg bw.

The study explored, examined and simulated some selected abiotic factors observed at biodiversity hotspots of Osse River, located in the tropical Rainforest, Edo State, Nigeria. The study was aimed at providing information required for sustainable shrimp husbandry. The research rationale was that the stress levels in shrimps are absolutely a function of flow rates and depths. Shrimp samples were caught from Osse River at night and early morning periods. The shrimp samples were identified, sorted, and counted. Stress levels impacted by abiotic variables such as regulated flow rates and depths were investigated employing Glutathione-S-Transferase, Cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenase, Catalase, and Superoxide dismutase. M. vollenhovenii managed the stress the most, followed by M. macrobrachion. These potentials can be attributed to the relatively large and tough morphological characteristics and the animals. Proficiency of regulation of antioxidant enzymes in the animals must have contributed appreciably to the hardiness of the animals. Cultivation of M. vollenhovenii, followed by M. macrobrachion is very much achievable, with optimal results at flow rate of 0.1 m/s. The species have an appreciably wide spectrum of flow rates due to their ability to cope in slightly harsh conditions. The study provided vivid information on the flow rate of shrimp pond to support artificial rearing of the Palaemonid shrimps

Increase prevalence of multi-resistant enteric bacteria isolates encoded with high mobile R-plasmid causing enteric infections was examined among the community residents in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Random cluster sampling of 251 fecal samples of community residents were cultured for enteric bacteria and biotyped. Disc diffusion and Micro-broth dilution assay were used to determine antibiotic susceptibility while R-plasmid was profiled with photo-gel documentation. Antibiotic resistance relatedness was detected using DendroUPGMA construction utility software. Of all isolates obtained, 31.3% were Escherichia coli Klebsiella oxytoca (19.5%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15.3%) and Shigella specie (2.0%). Significant high rate of 62.6% showed resistant to Cefuroxime, 61.6% to Ampicillin and Augmentin (54.2%) while 44.7%, 38.9% and 33.9% resist Cotrimoxazole, Ciprofloxacin and Tetracycline respectively at MIC >16 μg/ml (p= 0.004). Only 54.1% harboured high molecular weight R-plasmid (>11.0kbp) and 2.7% having