Abstract Limited information is available on reduced cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) and green gram (Vigna radiata L.Wilczek.) yields in Kenya. Declining soil fertility and absence or presence of ineffective indigenous rhizobia in soils are assumptions that have been formulated but still require to be demonstrated. In this study, soils were collected from legume growing areas of Western (Bungoma), Nyanza (Bondo), Eastern (Isiolo), Central (Meru) and Coast (Kilifi) provinces in Kenya to a...
Abstract/Overview Background: Metagenomics approaches are increasingly being utilized as “dipstick” for microbial carriage. In this study, 16S rRNA metagenomics was used to probe for microbial community that resides in the ticks, those they pick from the environment, wildlife and livestock and to identify potential tick borne zoonoses. Methods: Tick DNA from 463 tick pools collected from domestic animals between 2007 and 2008 were amplified with primers that target the 16S rRNA V3-V4 ...
Abstract Microbial diversity and function in agro-ecosystems is influenced by various aspects linked to soil and agronomic practices for example, tillage, irrigation, crop rotation and application of organic and inorganic inputs. Farming systems practices may affect the dynamic interactions existing between soil, plant and microorganisms in different agricultural biomes. Due to limitations associated with conventional microbial cultivation strategies, only a fractional number of cultivable s...
Abstract: Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most economically important, highly contagious and trans-boundary animal diseases in developing countries including Ethiopia causing huge amount of economical loses in different geographical areas of the country. However, the information about genetic characteristics and strains of FMD virus circulating in Ethiopia is scarce. A cross sectional study was conducted between September 2016 and April 2017 to undertake serotyping and molecular c...
Abstract: Urinary tract infection is one of the most prevalent infections caused by different pathogens. This study was designed to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of uropathogens among patients visiting Hasasa Health Center from March to May 2016.A total of 384 patients participated in this study. Culturing and identification of uropathogens were performed by using agar (Mac-Conkey agar and blood agar) and biochemical test. Antimicrobial resistance testing...
Abstract: Helicobacter pylori are a small, spiral-shaped bacterium that lives on the surface of the stomach and duodenum. H. pylorus is closely associated with onset of diseases such as gastric ulcers, duodenal ulcers, gastritis and gastric cancers. The aim of this study was to determine the frequencies of ABO blood group system and its relationship with H. pylori infection among patients with gastrointestinal complaints at the Asella Teaching and Referral Hospital. A total of 422 patients o...
Abstract: Lactic acid bacteria are one of the most important groups of microorganisms useful in animal and human health as probiotics. Probiotics are the health promoting living microorganisms and produces antimicrobial compounds such as organic acids, H2O2 and bacteriocins. Now a day, the use of antibiotics as growth promoters is questionable. In this case, probiotics have a potential to solve this problem as one of the alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. The aim of this study was ...
Abstract: HIV greatly increase the number of TB patients, which in turn increases TB transmission from family member and community members. The study was conducted in Kuyu Hospital from February-May 2017 with the objectives of determining the prevalence and trends of HIV, TB and their co-infections and associated risk factor among patients visiting Kuyu Hospital. A total of 384 patients of all age were enrolled in the study and out of this, the number of males and females were 196 and 188, r...
Abstract: The rising global population pressure generates challenges to fulfill food requirements for the coming generations in adequate amounts. This suggests that the human population cannot continue to be entirely dependent on crops, animal husbandry and fisheries for food. Instead, efforts should be made to enhance the production of other potential alternative sources of food. To this end the current study has been undertaken to evaluate the production of single cell protein (SCP) from A...
Abstract: Stingless bees produce honey (locally named as tazma mar) and propolis that are different from the Apis mellifera honey and propolis in terms of composition. The aim of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of honey and propolis from stingless bee in vitro against selected human bacterial pathogens. The crude extracts of stingless bee honey and its propolis were prepared using absolute ethanol, methanol and distilled water. Total phenol...
Abstract: The over increasing antibiotic resistance of pathogens has driven a global initiative towards the search for new sources of antimicrobial substances mainly from medicinal plants. Based on the existing traditional claim, this study investigated the antimicrobial activities and phytochemical composition of crude extracts of anchote (Coccinia abysinica) leaf and tuber using extracting solvents such as ethanol and hexane against the gram positive (Streptococcus aureus, Staphylococcus p...
Abstract: Aloe vera is one of a medicinal plant that used traditionally to treat a number of diseases. Hence, this study was conducted to evaluate antimicrobial activities of Aloe vera (L.) leaf and gel extract in different solvents like Ethanol, Petroleum ether and Distilled water (aqueous) against selected human skin pathogens namely; Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae and Aspergillus flavus. Disc diffusion method was used to achieve antimicrobial assay. Minimum inhibitory, b...
Abstract: Lactic acid bacteria are widely used as probiotics. Probiotics are beneficial components of the microbiota that have been used for centuries throughout the world because of the health benefits they confer to the host. Isolation and characterization of probiotic lactic acid bacteria is essential not only for understanding their individual contribution to fermentation processes but also to reveal their roles in industrial applications. The aim of this study was to isolate and charact...
Abstract: Medicinal plants have been used for centuries to treat diseases. Differences in antimicrobial activities may affected by geographical area and other conditions.This study was carried out to screen the phytochemical composition and antimicrobial activities of leaf,friut and root extracts of U.dioca against pathogenic bacteria and fungus. U.dioca is a medicinal plant which belongs to the family Urticaceae.The Leaf,friut and root of this plant were collected. The phytochemical screeni...
Abstract: Concerns about disease causing bacteria are now ever increasing. The common and immediate action to these disease causing microbes is the use of antibiotics. However, due to the challenges of drug-resistance in bacteria and the problems of affordability of the drugs, the search for new compounds from plant and animal sources that act against the pathogens has become crucial in many countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using honey, garlic and ginger...