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Bacterial contamination of stethoscopes at a tertiary care hospital in southwestern Nigeria

O.A. Adesanya, V.U. Nwadike, O.O. Adesanya, A.B. Lamina

 

Abstract

Hospital acquired infections are a recognized cause of morbidity and mortality all over the world. They are frequently caused by organisms residing in healthcare environment, including contaminated medical equipment like stethoscopes. There is limited awareness of health workers of the contribution of contaminated hospital equipment to nosocomial infections. Hence we aimed to determine the level of bacterial contamination and bacterial profile of the isolates from stethoscopes at our centre- a tertiary care hospital in Abeokuta, Southwest Nigeria.

To achieve this, 2 stethoscopes were selected from each of the clinical care units in the hospital and studied. Specimens were collected using moistened sterile cotton swab from the ear pieces and diaphragms of each stethoscope and processed following standard microbiological techniques. In all, 26 stethoscopes were studied. 46.2% (12) of the diaphragms cultured yielded growth of bacteria while only 11.5% (3) of the ear pieces cultured yielded a growth of bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus (58.3%) was the most commonly cultured organism. Other organisms cultured included: Diphtheroids, Proteus species and Escherichia coli. 83.3% of the isolated organisms were gram positive while 16.7% were gram negative organisms.In conclusion,the study shows that there is a high level of contamination of stethoscopes in use by health care workers. Disinfection of stethoscopes before and after use is advocated to reduce the spread of infections.

Keywords: Stethoscopes, Contaminated medical equipment, Disinfection, Hospital acquired infections, Health care workers, Bacterial profile

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Bacterial contamination of stethoscopes at a tertiary care hospital in southwestern Nigeria

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Hand washing practices and the occurrence of enteropathogenic bacteria among residents of a Nigerian University

F Ayoade, C.H. Ardern

 

Abstract

Hand washing is known to be an important preventive strategy and a major step in infection control. However, compliance is low in most communities. The present work investigated the relationship between the levels of compliance to hand washing and related this to the occurrence of infectious bacteria in the test population. A questionnaire which contained information on bio-demographic characteristics and hand hygiene practices was applied to 100 individuals in the study population. Microbiological samples were obtained, Total Colony Counts was done and the isolates were identified using standard bacteriological methods. The results showed that 46% of the respondents wash their hands before eating food; 40% of the test population washes their hands after using the toilet; while none of the respondents wash their hands after handling money. The highest bacterial load was found in the 0-15 years age group. The most highly occurring isolate was Salmonella enterica(23.7%). These results confirm the low level of compliance to hand hygiene in the test population and underscores the need to effectively break the fecal–oral transmission route via hands through effective interventions such as hand washing with soap and water.

Keywords: enteropathogenic bacteria, hand washing, compliance

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Hand washing practices and the occurrence of enteropathogenic bacteria among residents of a Nigerian University

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Multiple antibiotic resistance indices of Aeromonas hydrophila isolates of muscle of catfish (Clarias gariepinus, Burchell 1822) from selected markets in Ibadan, Nigeria

B.A. Saka, O.K. Adeyemo, A.O. Odeseye

 

Abstract

The extensive use and misuse of antimicrobials for treatment and prophylaxis in livestock production generally and aquaculture in particular is of great concern to environmental and public health. In Nigeria, regulation and monitoring of aquaculture and other livestock production activities at best is lax. Drug resistance pathogens have therefore been consistently reported in Nigeria.

Ninety-eight adult live fishes weighing an average of 684.88±141.73g were purchased at random from different live-fish selling points fortnightly over a fourteen-week period. Fish were anaesthetized using Tricaine Methane Sulfonate (MS222 and 15g of muscle excised and processed according to standard methods. Growth, isolation and characterization of Aeromonas hydrophila was accomplished using Rimler-Shotts agar medium which had been infused with ampicillin supplement for 24 hours and incubated at 37oC and appropriate biochemical tests.

Ten positive isolates (AH1-AH10) were subjected to culture and sensitivity test using the disc diffusion method on nutrient agar. Zones of growth inhibition around the colonies were observed, measured and characterized as sensitive, intermediate and resistant based on the Manual of Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing method. All the isolates had MAR >0.2. Isolate AH9 had the highest MAR index (1). Three of the isolates (AH3, AH5 and AH8) had MAR indices of 0.89, while AH2, AH4 and AH7 had MAR indices of 0.67. This study established the resistance of Aeromonas hydrophila isolates from fish muscle to a wide range of antibiotic. The detection of high MAR A. hydrophila in muscle of fish intended for consumption is significant and could act as a potential source of resistant bacteria for humans. Further investigation into antimicrobial resistance is recommended.

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Multiple antibiotic resistance indices of Aeromonas hydrophila isolates of muscle of catfish (Clarias gariepinus, Burchell 1822) from selected markets in Ibadan, Nigeria

 

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Antimicrobial activity of Lycoperdon perlatum whole fruit body on common pathogenic bacteria and fungi

U.K. Akpi, C.K. Odoh, E.E. Ideh, U.S. Adobu

 

Abstract

Antimicrobial activities of extracts of fruit bodies of Lycoperdon perlatum against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Candida albicans and Candida glabrata were investigated. Antimicrobial components from the mushrooms were extracted using ethanol, methanol and water. The antimicrobial activities were examined by agar well diffusion method. The MIC, MBC and MFC were evaluated for each extract of the mushroom. The aqueous extract of Lycoperdon perlatum inhibited the growth of all the tested pathogenic organisms except P. aeruginosa while the methanol and ethanol extracts inhibited all the tested organisms. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of varying levels of bioactive compounds. Flavonoids, saponins, protein and carbohydrate were detected in all the extracts while glycosides, alkaloids and tannins were found in some. The results obtained from this study suggest that Lycoperdon perlatum has broad-spectrum of activity against microbial isolates used.

Keywords: Lycoperdon perlatum, antimicrobial, phytochemicals, well diffusion

Antimicrobial activity of Lycoperdon perlatum whole fruit body on common pathogenic bacteria and fungi

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Molecular diagnostics by PCR of poxviruses (Orthopoxvirus (OPV) and Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV)) in Cote d’Ivoire West Africa

S Meite, N.D. Coulibaly, C Boni-Cissé, K.S. Koffi, A Sylla, K.S. Kouassi, A.P. Mlan, S.M. Kouame, F.S. Zaba, K.S. Ngazoa, H Faye-Ketté, M Dosso

 

Abstract

The Orthopoxvirus (OPV) and the Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV) are Poxviruses involved in viruses skin lesions in humans. OPV infects many vertebrates and MCV mainly infects humans. A diagnostic confusion is often observed between the clinical lesions due to the different Poxviruses firstly and secondly with other viruses like the virus of the chickenpox. In Côte d’Ivoire, the diagnosis of MCV remains essentially clinical and that of OPV is non-existent despite the risk of circulation of the virus. This study aims to implementthe molecular detection of the OPV and the MVC in Côte d’Ivoire. Material and method: Cowpoxvirus DNA and 21 DNA extracts from suspicious cutaneous lesions of the MCV were analyzed by conventional PCR. The consensus primers (EACP1, EACP2) designed from the surface hemagglutin gene were used for the detection of the OPVs and the primers (MCV1, MCV2) targeting the K fragment of the MCV were used for the MCV’s detection . A growing dilution series of the Cowpoxvirus DNA and the MCV allowed the study of the method’s sensitivity used. The DNAs of S.aureus, M. ulcerans, VZV, HSV, the Measles virus and Varicella virus were used for the specificity tests. Results: The detection of the OPV from the Cowpoxvirus viral strain was positive with a positivity threshold at 10-1 dilution. That of the MCV DNA from the suspected MCV’s lesion was positive with a positivity threshold of up to 10 -6 dilution. No non-specific amplification was observed with the DNAs of the other pathogens responsible for lesions Cutaneous. The clinical diagnosis of the MCV was confirmed by PCR in 18 out of the 21 patients, ie 85.71%. On the 3 patients with a negative MCV PCR, 2 were positive for the OPV PCR , reflecting the risk of confusion between clinical lesions due to Poxviruses.

Keyvords: Molecular diagnostic, Poxviruses, West Africa

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Molecular diagnostics by PCR of poxviruses (Orthopoxvirus (OPV) and Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV)) in Cote d’Ivoire West Africa

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Risk factors associated with HIV prevalence in pregnant women in Burkina Faso, from 2006 to 2014

D Konaté, H Dahourou, W Traoré, C Ouedraogo, A Bambara-Kankouan, A Somda, A Guiré, M.J. Sanou, M Lingani, N Barro, A.S. Traoré, L Sangaré

 

Abstract

Purpose of the study: To determine the socio-demographic factors influencing the dynamics of HIV prevalence among pregnant women in Burkina Faso.

Material and methods: A total of 66,597 pregnant women from the 13 health regions of Burkina Faso were included in this study conducted between 2006 and 2014. Venous blood samples were collected and analyzed for the detection of HIV antibodies according to WHO / UNAIDS strategy II, using the mixed test Vironostika HIV Uniform II Plus O (Bio-Mérieux) and the test discriminating ImmunoCombII HIV-1 & 2 BiSpot (Orgenics). Samples with discordant results between the two tests, as well as those positive to HIV-2 or HIV-1 + 2, were retested with HIV BLOT 2.2 (MP Diagnostics). Sociodemographic data collected from the participants were correlated with their HIV status to determine key risk factors influencing HIV infection prevalence in Burkina Faso.

Results: Sociodemographic data showed that the study population consisted mainly of married women (91.2%) at their first pregnancy (27.1%) with a large majority of them being housewives (86.2%) who did not attend any form of schooling (69.4%). About 88.4% had stayed longer than a year in the health region where they initially participated in the study and 55.8% were between 20 and 29 years of age. Overall HIV prevalence significantly dropped from 2.7 % in 2006 to 1.3% in 2014. However HIV seroprevalence in this study has varied significantly according to socio-demographic characteristics including marital status, parity, occupation, education, age group and the length of stay in the women’s health community (p <0.0001). Factors sustaining HIV transmission included the status of being unmarried (OR=1.67 [1.42-1.97]), primigest (OR=1.64 [1.41-1.89]), having other occupations except being student (OR = 1.68 [1.20-2.33]), aged between 20-49 years (OR=3.14 [2.51-3.93]) and the duration of stay less than a year in their locality (OR=5.33 [4.61-10.16]) and these factors were identified as main risk factors associated with HIV prevalence.

Conclusion: Burkina Faso remains among the countries with concentrated epidemics despite a significant reduction in the prevalence observed in this study. The inclusion of identified risk factors in the national HIV program could improve the quality of the response to the epidemic.

Keywords:

D Konaté, H Dahourou, W Traoré, C Ouedraogo, A Bambara-Kankouan, A Somda, A Guiré, M.J. Sanou, M Lingani, N Barro, A.S. Traoré, L Sangaré

 

Abstract

Purpose of the study: To determine the socio-demographic factors influencing the dynamics of HIV prevalence among pregnant women in Burkina Faso.

Material and methods: A total of 66,597 pregnant women from the 13 health regions of Burkina Faso were included in this study conducted between 2006 and 2014. Venous blood samples were collected and analyzed for the detection of HIV antibodies according to WHO / UNAIDS strategy II, using the mixed test Vironostika HIV Uniform II Plus O (Bio-Mérieux) and the test discriminating ImmunoCombII HIV-1 & 2 BiSpot (Orgenics). Samples with discordant results between the two tests, as well as those positive to HIV-2 or HIV-1 + 2, were retested with HIV BLOT 2.2 (MP Diagnostics). Sociodemographic data collected from the participants were correlated with their HIV status to determine key risk factors influencing HIV infection prevalence in Burkina Faso.

Results: Sociodemographic data showed that the study population consisted mainly of married women (91.2%) at their first pregnancy (27.1%) with a large majority of them being housewives (86.2%) who did not attend any form of schooling (69.4%). About 88.4% had stayed longer than a year in the health region where they initially participated in the study and 55.8% were between 20 and 29 years of age. Overall HIV prevalence significantly dropped from 2.7 % in 2006 to 1.3% in 2014. However HIV seroprevalence in this study has varied significantly according to socio-demographic characteristics including marital status, parity, occupation, education, age group and the length of stay in the women’s health community (p <0.0001). Factors sustaining HIV transmission included the status of being unmarried (OR=1.67 [1.42-1.97]), primigest (OR=1.64 [1.41-1.89]), having other occupations except being student (OR = 1.68 [1.20-2.33]), aged between 20-49 years (OR=3.14 [2.51-3.93]) and the duration of stay less than a year in their locality (OR=5.33 [4.61-10.16]) and these factors were identified as main risk factors associated with HIV prevalence.

Conclusion: Burkina Faso remains among the countries with concentrated epidemics despite a significant reduction in the prevalence observed in this study. The inclusion of identified risk factors in the national HIV program could improve the quality of the response to the epidemic.

Keywords: HIV-Pregnant Women-Risk Factors-Burkina Faso

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Risk factors associated with HIV prevalence in pregnant women in Burkina Faso, from 2006 to 2014

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Residual mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Burkina Faso

A Ky Ba, M Sanou, L Toguyeni Tamini, I Diallo, A.S. Ouédraogo, J Catrayé, P.T. Sanou, C Ki Toe, A.Y. Ky, I Sanou, R Ouédraogo Traoré, L Sangaré

 

Abstract

Background: Burkina Faso is one of the countries in West Africa most affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, despite the implementation of a mother-to-child HIV transmission prevention program as a strategy to reduce the risk of vertical transmission of the disease.

Objective: To assess the current risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Burkina Faso.

Materials and methods: A prospective study was conducted between December 2014 and July 2016, in the 13 health regions of Burkina Faso. Women who were screened HIV-positive during a prenatal consultation were followed until delivery. Their babies received dry blood spot (DBS) at birth, at week 6 and at 1year, to screen for HIV.

Results: Overall, 186 pregnant women were included in the study, with a mean age of 29.17±6.13 years. Of their children, 430 DBS actually received a PCR test, giving a 91.1% PCR implementation rate. After analyses, 6 (1.3%) babies were identified as carriers of HIV1. The newborn’s serological status was associated with delivery pattern (p=0.000), the administration of antiretroviral drugs to the mother after delivery (p=0.0064), the administration of Nevirapine to the newborn at birth (p=0.022), the use of contraceptive methods after delivery (p=0.028) and the presence of breast affections/infections since delivery (p=0.013).

Conclusion: The results of our study are encouraging and demonstrate the effectiveness of interventions in the mother-tochild prevention program (PMTCT) for HIV-positive pregnant women can be improved through early initiation of triple therapy in early pregnancy and improved adherence to antiretroviral (ARV) therapy.

Keywords: Burkina Faso, HIV/AIDS, mother-to-child transmission, antiretroviral drugs, pregnant women

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Residual mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Burkina Faso

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School based mass de-worming initiative in south-west Nigeria

A.M. Efunshile

 

Abstract

Background: The public health implications of helmintic infection in developing countries were generally agreed by many researchers to include poor growth and poor school performance among others. But the role of school based mass de-worming in combating the menace of helminthiasis remains controversial. Several studies have assessed the impacts of mass de-worming with conflicting results. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of antihelminthic mass chemotherapy on changes in growth indices and school absenteeism.

Materials and methods: Albendazole tablets were administered by school teachers to pupils after data and stool sample collection. Follow up data were collected 6 months later for impact assessment. Ponderal growth retardation was defined as BMI under 5-percentile.

Results: Overall helminth infection rate was 373/1442 (39%) of the pupils before the intervention. Ascaris lumbricoides (n=247; 25.8%) and hookworm (n=89; 9.3%) were the most common. At enrolment 19.6% of children with and 11.8% without helminth infections had BMI below the 5-percentile. These figures were reduced to 9.2% and 8.8% after de-worming respectively. No effect of de-worming was seen on longitudinal growth. The number of helminth infected children with >25% absenteeism reduced by 12.5%, while the reduction rate was 6.8% in the uninfected group.

Discussion: The difference in response to de-worming between infected and uninfected children strongly support the beneficial effect of de-worming on growth and school absenteeism. The intervention could be administered by school teachers without formal healthcare training, thus allowing integration of the programme into existing structures.

Keywords: Helminthes, Absenteeism, Preventive Chemotherapy

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School based mass de-worming initiative in south-west Nigeria

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Lateral geniculate nucleus histopathology in the rat experimental model of African trypanosomosis

C.I. Maina, G.M. Ng’wena

 

Abstract

Trypanosomosis is an infectious disease of humans and animals characterized by sleep/wake disturbances and disruptions in other circadian rhythm activities. The disease is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Trypanosoma and transmitted by the bite of infected tsetse flies of the Glossina species. Although trypanosomosis has a well knownaetiology, histopathological studies on brain regions involved in the control of circadian rhythms are scanty. Lateral geniculate nucleus works in conjunction with the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the master circadian rhythm pacemaker, in regulating circadian rhythms. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of T.b.brucei infection on the histology of the lateral geniculate nucleus, a brain region that can serve as an alternative secondary circadian rhythm pacemaker when the master pacemaker fails. Twelve control and twelve experimental male albino rats were used in this study. The experimental rats were inoculated intraperitoneally with 0.2ml of infected blood containing 1 x 104T.b.bruceiparasites. The infected animals were allowed to go through the full course of infection and sacrificed when they were in extremis. Each rat was decapitated and the brain immediately extracted from the skull. The brain was fixed in 10% buffered neutral formalin for at least 48 hours. The brain was later removed from the formalin solution and a coronal section made. The coronal section was processed histologically and stained using the haematoxylin and eosin method. The stained slides were observed under a microscope and photomicrographs taken. Histological alterations, including tissue degeneration, infiltration and proliferation of cells, and perivascular cuffing were observed in the lateral geniculate nucleus of infected rats. Lateral geniculate nucleus cannot, therefore, serve as an alternative secondary circadian rhythm pacemaker during trypanosome infection.

Keywords: Trypanosomosis, Lateral geniculate nucleus, Histopathology, Circadian rhythm

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Lateral geniculate nucleus histopathology in the rat experimental model of African trypanosomosis

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Prevalence of trypanosomiasis in sheep in the Kachia Grazing Reserve, Kachia, Kaduna State, Nigeria

B Wayo, S.M. Samdi, A.O. Fajinmi, R Bizi, H Dauda, A.A. Muhammad, J.O. Kalejaiye

 

Abstract

An investigation was carried out in the Kachia grazing reserve in Kaduna, Nigeria, to determine the prevalence of trypanosomiasis among sheep. The reserve has had a history of high prevalence of the disease and farmers in the area are known to ignore the control of trypanosomiasis in sheep and goats and focus more on cattle. The sheep studied showed lacrimation, pale mucous membranes, hair loss, lameness and tick infestation. Blood samples from 110 sheep were collected and examined by using the Standard Trypanosome Detection Method i.e. Haematocrit Centrifugation Technique (HCT),Buffy Coat Method (BCM), and Giemsa stained thick and thin blood films.The packed cell volume (PCV) of each animal was also determined.An overall point prevalence rate of 40.9%(45 positive) was recorded. The average PCV of the infected sheep (19.6±0.45) appeared lower but statistically not significant (p>0.05)than that (18.6±0.51) in those non-infected.The trypanosomes observed were T. congolense (40.0%),T. Brucei (28.8%), T.vivax (17.7%) and mixed infections (13.3%). The potential of small ruminants serving as reservoirs of infection for cattle, insufficiency of professional Veterinary services, absence of alternative trypanosomiasis control methods other than chemotherapy and poor land use practices which forces migration of herds and complicates the control of the disease in the area were discussed.

Keywords: Prevalence, Trypanosomiasis, Sheep, Grazing reserve, Chemotherapy, Reservoir

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Prevalence of trypanosomiasis in sheep in the Kachia Grazing Reserve, Kachia, Kaduna State, Nigeria