Abstract/Overview Ever since the first case report of HIV infection approximately twenty years ago, enormous human and material resources have been put in place to assist in the control and management of the scourge. With an increase in number of cases of immunosuppression came an increase in the number of microbial organisms, which were previously unknown. Some, which have existed albeit at an equilibrium with the human immune system and by extension the body’s defence mechanism have f...
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...
SECTION 1 1.0 Introduction Aspergillus species are ubiquitous opportunistic moulds that cause both allergic and invasive syndromes. The genus comprises approximately 180 species, of which 33 have been associated with human disease. Most infections are caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus terreus, and Aspergillus niger (Lee J.Y., et al. 2001). Less commonly, Aspergillus nidulans can be implicated as the causative pathogen, especially in the setti...
ABSTRACT 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. This study sought to screen for antimicrobial activity of extracts from fungal endophytes against selected human pathogens, identify, and characterize the fungal endophytes and screen for phytochemicals present in selected medicinal plants‟ extracts. Sixty-five fu...
ABSTRACT Background Buruli ulcer (BU) is a skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. BU is the third most common mycobacterial disease after tuberculosis and leprosy, but in Ghana and Cote d’ Ivoire, it is the second. M. ulcerans produces mycolactone, an immunosuppressant macrolide toxin which makes the infection painless. However, some patients have complained of painful lesions and delay healing. Painful ulcers and delay healing experienced by some patients may be due to secondary ba...
ABSTRACT Soybean is afected by a wide range of diseases, many of which are seed-borne. Infection by seed-borne pathogens leads to seed rot, low seedling vigour and reduction in plant growth. Seed-borne fungal pathogens on farmer-saved seeds of soybeans were investigated by examining a total of eleven (11) seed samples from two districts (Saboba and Yendi) in the Northern region and one from CSIR-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI). Appearance quality of farmer-saved soybean se...
Abstract Background Information about HBV sero-markers, infection stages and genotypes in HIV-1 infected and uninfected injection and non-injection drug users (IDUs) in Kenya remains elusive. Methods A cross-sectional study examining HBV sero-marker, infection stages and genotypes was conducted among HIV-1 infected and uninfected, respectively, IDUs (n = 157 and n = 214) and non-IDUs (n = 139 and n = 48), and HIV-1 uninfected non-drug using controls (n = 194) from coastal...
ABSTRACT Cultivation of Jatropha curcas L. for production of biodiesel as an alternative source of energy is crucial for sustainable development in Nigeria. Pests and pathogens especially fungi have been reported to be a major constraint to commercial cultivation of J. curcas in Asia and some West African countries. However, this is yet to be fully investigated and documented in Nigeria. Fungal pathogens infecting J. curcas in southwestern Nigeria were therefore investigated. Two hundred plan...
ABSTRACT Background: Hepatitis B virus and HIV infections are endemic in sub-Saharan Africa where 22.9 million individuals are estimated to be infected with HIV and nearly 50 million people are chronic HBV carriers. Due to similar routes of transmission, co-infections with the two viruses are common. Hepatitis B being severely infectious and found in HIV-positive patients, could pose more serious health problems. In Ghana, the prevalence of HBV infection is estimated at 15% of the adult popul...
Abstract: Entomopathogenic fungi have been explored as a potential biopesticide to counteract the insecticide resistance issue in mosquitoes. However, little is known about the possibility that genetic resistance to fungal biopesticides could evolve in mosquito populations. Here, we detected an important genetic component underlying Anopheles coluzzii survival after exposure to the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae. A familiality study detected variation for survival among wild ...
Abstract Background. Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) and schistosome infections have been known to be major causes of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan countries. School aged and preschool children are known to be at high risk of infection. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with soil-transmitted helminths among school-going children in Lurambi Subcounty, Kakamega, Kenya. Method. A cross-sectional study was conducted from Jan 2...
ABSTRACT Giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis remain as part of the commonest gastroenteritis in Ghana. The diseases are caused by the protozoan parasites, Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium sp. respectively. Inadequate supply of treated water and poor sanitation are some of the key factors leading to the spread of these infections. Being zoonotic diseases, it is suspected that, a large proportion of human infections could come from infected domestic and farm animals. Though, use of molecular to...
Cultivation of Jatropha curcas L. for production of biodiesel as an alternative source of energy is crucial for sustainable development in Nigeria. Pests and pathogens especially fungi have been reported to be a major constraint to commercial cultivation of J. curcas in Asia and some West African countries. However, this is yet to be fully investigated and documented in Nigeria. Fungal pathogens infecting J. curcas in southwestern Nigeria were therefore investigated. Two hundred plant s...
ABSTRACT Understanding the interrelationships between injury, infection and diversity of Theileria in a zebra population may illuminate the mechanisms by which injuries influence the course of latent infections, and may be an important factor to be considered during therapy of injured animals. Currently, the molecular diversity of Theileria species that are circulating in Kenyan free living common zebras is unknown and the effect of anthropogenic induced injuries on Theileria diversity and in...
ABSTRACT Intestinal parasite co-infections are major public health problems of children in developing countries causing under nutrition, anaemia obstruction, mental and physical growth retardation. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of soil transmitted helminth (STHs) and malaria co-infection among primary school children in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Rivers state Nigeria. A total of 464 stools were sampled randomly from three Egbema community primary school c...