Category: 2010

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the most common transfusion transmissible infections hence the introduction of routine screening for its antibodies in blood donors in most blood banks. Methods: This was a retrospective study in which the blood donor screening register for all intending donors were reviewed and analyzed. Results: There were 4,731 potential donors with age range 20-41years. Eighty six (1.8%) were sero-positive to HCV antibodies with a decreasing incidence over the period under review. The highest incidence was recorded the age group 31-40 years. Aim: To determine the sero-prevalence of HCV among blood donors in ABUTH Kaduna. Conclusion: HCV infection is not uncommon in our environment hence the need to emphasize it’s routine screening among all potential donors.

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Seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus antibodies amongst blood donors in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) Kaduna

A study was conducted to investigate the seroprevalence of the rubella virus amongst pregnant women and the relationship it has with the duration of pregnancy, premature delivery, and past history of abortion in pregnant women visiting the Yaoundé Gynecological, Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital (HGOPY). 211 pregnant women attending the prenatal consultation of mean age 27±5.99 years were randomly selected and screened for rubella IgG antibodies. 39.3% of them were in their third trimester of pregnancy while 25.6% and 35.1% were in their first and second trimester of pregnancy respectively. 11.73% of the women had a history of premature delivery and 40.3% had a history of at least one abortion. Spearman’s correlation was calculated between antibody titre and age. 88.6% of pregnant women were seropositive while 9% (susceptible) were seronagative and 2.4% had equivocal results. The most susceptible women to rubella infection were in the age group 26-30 years while women in the age group 21-25 years band were the most seropositive. There was a strong correlation between the antibody titre and age (r=0.549 p<0.01). There was no statistical difference between the pregnancy in trimesters and antibody titres (p=0.0926) as well as between the number of previous abortions and the antibody titre (p<0.01, r=0.246). No correlations between antibody titre and pregnancy duration, or occurrence of premature births. There was a weak correlation between the antibody titre and number of previous abortions.

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Clinical studies on seroprevalence of rubella virus in pregnant women of Cameroon regions

 

Nosocomial infection is a recognized public health problem world-wide with a prevalence rate of 3.0-20.7% and an incidence rate of 5-10%. It has become increasingly obvious that infections acquired in the hospital lead to increased morbidity and mortality which has added noticeably to economic burden. However, after about three decades of nosocomial infection surveillance and control world-wide, it still remains an important problem for hospitals today. Studies have shown that most hospitals in developing countries especially Africa, have no effective infection control programme due to lack of awareness of the problem, lack of personnel, poor water supply, erratic electricity supply, ineffective antibiotic policies with emergence of multiply antibiotic resistant microbes, poor laboratory backup, poor funding and non-adherence to safe practices by health workers. It is recommended that the cost of hospital infection control programme should be included in the health budget of the country and fund allocated for the infection control committee for routine control purposes and to bear the cost of outbreaks. There is need for adequate staffing and continuous education of staff on the principles of infection control, especially hand washing which is the single most important effective measure to reduce the risks of cross infection.

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Nosocomial infections and the challenges of control in developing countries

Avian influenza H5N1 represents one of the most researched viruses in laboratories world-wide in recent times with regards to its epidemiology, ecology, biology and geography. The virus has caused 409 human cases and 256 human fatalities to date. Some laboratory activities and other lab related
works predispose certain workers to exposure to this virus. In this work, we assessed the effect of exposure of HPAI infective allantoic fluid to ultraviolet rays for between 15 and 180 minutes. No significant difference was found between the unexposed and exposed viruses. The ability of the virus to haemagglutinate chicken red blood cells, the haemagglutination titre and its pathogenicity in embryonating eggs did not change despite this prolong exposure to UV-light. We call for caution in the handling of HPAI viruses in laboratory inside the microbiological safety cabinet despite sterilization using UV-light.

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Non-Attenuation Of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 By Laboratory Exposure To Ultraviolet Rays

The importance of biocides resistant bacterial strains in medicine, industry and the environment has gained significant attention. Microbial contamination of dental unit waterlines is thought to be the result of biofilm formation within the small-bore tubing used for these conduits. Our objectives were to characterize biocides resistant isolates from dental unit water line biofilm (DUWL) using the standard laboratory approaches. Growth curves of isolates established in biocides free and supplemented medium demonstrated less growth in the presence of biocides. O10 | P a g e ptimum pH was 7 whereas; optimum temperature was 37°C. Isolates showed resistance against multiple of heavy metals while fewer antibiotics. Genetic studies were accomplished by performing conjugation and transformation experiments. In two isolates (AWT 21 and PTNPF) transconjugants were observed, while no transformant was recorded in any case. Overall, the findings of this study can be used to profile the metabolic effects of new biocides or biocide combinations upon biocides
resistant biofilm isolates from clinical environment.

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Characterization Of Biocides Resistant Isolates From Dental Unit Water Line Biofilms By Culture Dependent Approach

A study of 65 children (29males and 36females) and aged between four weeks and 15years with significant bacteriuria was undertaking over a six month period to determine the effects of instruction received about the methods of urine collection and storage on the prevalence of urinary tract infection. The commonest clinical presentation was fever (64.6%). Only 22(35.4%) of the patients had specific symptoms suggestive of urinary tract infections. The instructions about urine collection were given to 48(73.8%) care givers. This instruction was given by the attending doctors (84%). Despite the explanation, 15(23.1%) of the patients collected the urine samples wrongly and 44(67.7%) stored the samples for longer than one hour. Significant bacteriuria was more prevalent in 74.2% of patients who submitted their urine samples more than one hour after collection. Communication skill is important and should be emphasized in the trainings of health workers in procedure on the patients.

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Effect Of Instructions About The Method Of Urine Collection And Storage On The Isolation Rate Of Urinary Bacteria In Children

Background: Nosocomial infection caused by methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) presents with management difficulties in infected patients due to their resistance to a number of other frontline antibiotics and constitutes
significant epidemiological problems. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of methicillin resistant S. aureus and antibiotic sensitivity pattern in clinical isolates in Kano. There is dearth of  information on
this subject in Kano.
Method: One hundred and eighty five (185) S. aureus isolates from various clinical specimens obtained over a 12-month period in the Microbiology Department of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) were subjected to methicillin susceptibility testing, while including susceptibility testing to other antibiotics by the disc diffusion methods.
Result: Out of 185 S. aureus isolates tested, 53(28.6%) were found to be methicillin resistant. While 38(62%) isolates were obtained from in-patients, 15(28%) were from out-patients. Surgical wound infection had the highest prevalence of 32(60%) isolates. Antibiotics sensitivity results of methicillin susceptible staphylococcus aureus MSSA) and MRSA with the third generation cephalosporins and the quinilones were encouraging. All
MRSA isolates were sensitive to vancomycin.
Conclusion: A prevalence of 28.6% MRSA in this environment calls for urgent intervention strategies due to its possible rapid spread and therapeutic problem.

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Methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern in Kano, Nigeria