ABSTRACT The absence of regulatory control of HIV test kits in use, non-availability of HIV testing algorithm and absence of regular and constant evaluation programme for HIV testing kits stimulated the authors' curiosity to carry out both operational and experimental studies on the commercially available HIV test devices circulating in the Nigerian market. A scientific approach to address the setbacks in HIV testing methods contending with HIV serodiagnosis and surveillance, as well as deter...
ABSTRACT Microbes capable of degrading atrazine were isolated by traditional enrichment technique from composite soil samples collected from four agricultural farmlands with long history of atrazine use in Nigeria. The estimated atrazine degrading populations from Obasanjo, Ladipo Daniel, Agbowa - Ikosi and Itokin farms were 1.6 x 10* cfu/mg, 8.0 x 10^cfu/mg, 5.0 x 10* cfw/mg and 1.2 x 10 cfu/mg of the soil samples respectively. The soil sample from Obasanjo farm was selected for further stud...
ABSTRACT Intact ecosystems can regulate the transmission of infectious diseases by maintaining the diversity of species in equilibrium. However, human driven land use change is a major driver of environmental change and can affect the emergence and the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases. This study investigated how land use change, and hence the extent of wildlife-livestock interactions affect the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases in the Maasai Mara ecosystem in Kenya, us...
ABSTRACT Avocado plants (Persea americana Mill.) belongs to the family lauraceae. Avocado fruit has high amounts of fats and proteins, high dietary fibre, vitamins and potassium. It is known to be the most nutritious of all the fruits. The most devastating pathogen of avocado plants is a fungal species, Phytophthora cinnamomi which cause avocado root rot. The fungus is the most widely distributed of Phytophthora species. It affects growth and physiology of plants and even leading to death of ...
Background of Study Petroleum is a major source of energy in the world and Nigeria is one of the major oil producing countries. Petroleum production and operations are often accompanied with serious ecological problems. Oil exploitation, exploration, transportation, consumption, attendant spills and disposals are some of the ways in which oil pollutants get into aquatic and soil environments. This has become a major concern to governments, individuals, environmental activists and the communit...
Abstract Cryptosporidium, a protozoan parasite that causes gastrointestinal illness, is transmitted by ingestion of oocysts excreted in human or animal stools. Cryptosporidiosis presents with severe diarrhoea in HIV/AIDS patients and self-limiting in immunocompetent individuals. The parasite is yet to receive sufficient public health attention in Nigeria. This study was undertaken to investigate association of Cryptosporidium oocysts with other intestinal parasites in patients with gastrointe...
ABSTRACT Sugarcane smut disease caused by a fungus Sporisorium scitamineum is a limiting factor to cane production in Kenya. It is threatening the sugar industry due to its effect on cane quality and yields. Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is known to have microbial organisms associated with its rhizosphere with potential antagonistic activity against the fungus, however numerous studies on rhizosphere microbial diversity and their antagonistic activity against fungal plant pathogens hav...
ABSTRACT Tinea capitis (ring worm) is a superficial fungal infection of the scalp and hair of the head. According to World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence rate of superficial mycotic infection worldwide has been found to be 20-25% and the infection presents a major public health problem in primary school-age children especially those from low and middle income countries like Kenya. Tinea capitis inflicts a lot of psychosocial trauma in children due to attached stigma, ulceration and...
ABSTRACT Sera from 775 persons in 10 age-groups, living in Lagos metropolis, were titrated for Toxoplasma antibodies, using the haemagglutination test. The overall percentage positive was 63.2%. The highest (78.4%) was found amongst the age group ranging from 36-40 years, whilst the lowest (48.2%) was recorded in the age group. 11-15 years. The risk of non-immune persons acquiring infection was calculated in the different age groups using Van Der Veen's equation. Venous blood samples, cord bl...
ABSTRACT Globally, it is estimated that 1.2 million injecting substance users are HBV infected while 1.7 million live with HIV. Africa is home to about 1.02 million injecting substance users of whom 12.7% are HBV infected while 12.1% live with HIV. In Kenya, the population of injecting substance users is approximately 50,000 most of whom reside in Nairobi and Mombasa cities. Nairobi and Mombasa cities are home to about 23,000 and 27,000 injecting substance users, respectively. The prevalence ...
ABSTRACT Water contamination is one of the major causes of water borne diseases worldwide. In Kenya, approximately 43% of people lack access to potable water due to human contamination. Physicochemical and biological factors influence microbial community and quality of water. Residents in Bungoma County depend on river Kuywa water for domestic and agricultural use. The river water is currently experiencing contamination due to human activities such as farming and disposal of industrial and do...
ABSTRACT The street food industry plays an important role in developing countries by meeting the food demand of the urban dwellers. There is an increase of food vending in Kisumu city due to poor economy and un-employment. Street foods are frequently associated with diarrheal diseases. The contribution of street-vended foods towards food borne infections is unknown in the city. Moreover, limited studies have been conducted in Kisumu city on pathogens associated with street-vended foods, poten...
ABSTRACT A total of 745 gram-positive, catalase-positive clustering cocci were obtained from various clinical specimens which included wound, blood, urine, catheter tips, high vaginal and endocervical swabs, urethral swabs, seminal fluids, bone secretions, eye and ear swabs. These isolates were obtained over an 18-month period from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, and General Hospital, Ikeja. Swab samples were also obtained from skin, hands, axilla and nose of an appa...
SUMMARY Rats experimentally infected with about 10 CFU or more of Campylobacter jejuns were promptly colonized. Campylobacter jejuni was recovered from faecal cultures of infected rats for up to 17 weeks post infection. The infected rats did not succumb to diarrhoea throughout the experiment. Haemagglutination assay was used to detect adhesins of Campylobacter jejuni isolated locally. Five out of 15 (33 percent) of the strains tested agglutinated erythrocytes of human blood group A+ and guine...
ABSTRACT This study was carried out in two phases. The first phase involved the determination of the prevalence of Aeromonas species and Plesiomonas shigelloides in patients, with and without diarrhoea, reporting at the enteric laboratory of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos; over a 12-month period of October 1986 through September 1987. In the second phase the characteristics of isolates thus obtained were exa...