Abstract: Ticks of the genus Rhipicephalus are important parasites of livestock in the world. Rhipicephalus ticks cause huge economic losses to cattle and have a great capacity to develop resistance to chemical acaricides. There is the need therefore to develop alternative strategies that could complement the existing control methods of this ectoparasite. Entomopathogenic fungi are being considered as a promising option for the control of ticks on-host and off-host. The aim of this study was...
ABSTRACT Microbial infections remain to be a major global public health challenge. In Kenya, these infections cause significant morbidity and mortality. Their devastating effects are majorly attributed to antimicrobial drug resistance. Nonetheless, the biodiversity and ecology of tropical Basidiomycetes fungi is an untapped source of potential bioactive compounds. Therefore, the current study aimed to isolate and test crude extracts and antimicrobial compounds from Basidiomycetes against sel...
ABSTRACT Medicinal plants have been used since time immemorial to treat and prevent human ailments. WHO indicates that up to 80% of the world’s population uses traditional medicine. Infections caused by bacteria and fungi have become a major health problem globally accounting for over 50,000 deaths every day. It is estimated that more than 70% of the pathogenic bacteria are resistant to at least one of the antibiotics commonly used to treat them. Conventional drugs are expensive and have s...
In Menoua Division, common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is amongst the legumes which are greatly cultivated with farmers growing different cultivar types. Upon harvest, these cultivars are stored to be used as food over the storage period or for sale. Unfortunately, appropriate facilities for storing the cultivars after harvest are not available hence predisposing the grains to fungi infection. The knowledge of cultivars resistant to damage by storage fungi would therefore have a consider...
Abstract: Soil is the primary reservoir for fungi of which Aspergillus and Fusarium species are the main causal agents of maize ear rot and mycotoxin production. Season and cropping systems are known to influence soil fungal community structure. It is imperative to establish the distribution and density of soil fungal communities as a requisite for formulating strategies for management of ear rot infections and mycotoxin contamination. The current study was carried out to investigate the dis...
In Cameroon, common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is amongst the legumes which are greatly consumed. Farmers in Cameroon especially the Menoua Division grow different common bean cultivars which after harvest, are stored to be used as food over the storage period or for sale. Storage of agricultural products become prone to fungal infection over time. Studies on the microbiology of stored common bean has identified fungi as a major contaminant. However it is possible that the incidence an...
ABSTRACT Background: There is a significant increase of drug abuse especially injection in Tanzania. Injection behaviors have been known to facilitate the transmission of HIV. Injecting drug users are among the population with an increased risk of contracting HIV. Understanding their perceived risk is a significant factor in determining the behaviors of this group Objective: This study wanted to assess the perceived risk of HIV infections among injecting drug users in Zanzibar. Methods: A c...
ABSTRACT Seed health testing to detect seed-borne pathogens is an important step in the management of crop diseases. Laboratory and screen house experiments were carried out at Selian Agriculture Research Institute Arusha, to investigate the extent of seed-borne fungal pathogen problems from farmers saved seeds in Northern wheat growing Zone. A total of 45 untreated seed samples of wheat were collected from farmers saved seeds in Karatu, Hanang and Siha Districts. Each sample was physically i...
Infectious diseases remain to be a global health burden due to the development of antibiotic resistance by pathogenic microorganisms. Antibiotic resistance has led to increased number of deaths among children and adults. Medicinal plants have been used over the years in the treatment and remedy of various infections affecting human beings. The use of secondary metabolites from medicinal plants and fungal endophytes can be an alternative to disease management without the negative impact o...
AbstractCertain elements are necessary to attain the infection control goals of personnel health service:coordination with other departments, medical evaluations, health and safety education,immunization programs, management of job-related illnesses and exposures to infectiousdiseases, through policies according to the CDC.In light of the above, study was designed to evaluate the infection control practices at KIUTHusing the surgical department as a model. The study aimed at determining the s...
ABSTRACT Prevalence of surgical site infections has risen with increased Caesarean section rates. Global estimates for post-CS SSIs range between 3 – 15% (highest rates in resource-poor countries) (Zuarez-Easton, Zafran, Garmi, & Salim, 2017). SSIs cause significant morbidity among post-CS mothers. Many factors have been associated with post-CS SSIs although little data exist on the matter in Kiryandongo. Therefore, the study was about the prevalence, factors and outcomes of Post-Caesarean ...
ABSTRACT Syphilis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Treponema palladium. Globally, about 12 million people, majority of whom come from sub-saharan Africa and Asia have suffered from syphilis infections. This study therefore determined the prevalence and the risk factors for occurrence of syphilis among men who sex with men in SWOP/MSM clinic in Nairobi City County. The study adopted l crossectional study design which encompassed use of qualitative and quantitave data collection...
ABSTRACT Plants acquire P from soil solution as the phosphate anion. Phosphorus for plant can be obtained from soluble P fertilizers or from insoluble phosphate rocks. It is highly fixed by calcium and by Fe and Al oxides depending on soil pH. Phosphorus solubilizing microorganisms play a major role in P nutrition through solubilisation of insoluble phosphate rocks. The use of phosphate solubilizing microorganisms as inoculants increases P uptake by the plant and crop yield. This study was un...
Abstract: Many successful laboratory studies have demonstrated the potential of using the entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana against malaria mosquitoes. This study focussed on infection of wild malaria mosquitoes with the entomopathogeriic fungus B. bassiana under field conditions. Four experiments were carried out under laboratory conditions by use of World Health Organization bioassay cones, for exposure of3-6 days old, non-blood fed laboratory-reared Anopheles arabiensis mosquito...
ABSTRACT Tinea capitis is a worldwide public health problem that affects children below 15 years of age and requires identification of the specific causative fungal agent. The hair and skin of the scalp are associated with symptoms and signs of inflammation and hair loss. Poor hygiene, low standards of living, sharing of hair devices or garment, climate conditions and overcrowding are some of the predisposing factors contributing to frequent transmission of the infection. Several previous st...