ABSTRACT This study involved the isolation, purification and characterisation of the bioactive phytochemicals from the ethanolic extract of young twigs and leaves of C. bonduc, the determination of the antimalarial activity of each isolated phytochemical, and the investigation of their in vivo toxicological effects. Further extractions were carried out using petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, butanol and water. Bioassay-guided fractionations of petroleum ether and ethyl acetate fractions were c...
ABSTRACT Tea is one of the most popular non-alcoholic beverages worlwide, and a leading foreign exchange earner and source of livelihood to over three million people in Kenya. Tea growing areas in Kenya often experience drought periods which cause accumulated soil water deficits. Tea plants respond to water deficit through poorly understood physiological, cellular/biochemical and molecular processes. Development of tea cultivars adapted to waterdeficit stress greatly relies on an understandi...
ABSTRACT Late stage Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is manifested by brain degeneration following infection by Trypanasoma brucei rhodensiense and Trypanasoma brucei gambiense parasites. This stage can only be treated with melarsoprol (Mel B) which inadvertently induces Post Treatment Reactive Encephalopathy (PTRE) and a mortality of 5% among HAT infected patients. This is an unacceptable mortality for a modern human drug. Investigations were conducted to establish the protective role of...
ABSTRACT Coprophilous fungi are abundant species found in dung of most wild animals, and an easily available and abundant tool for studying and monitoring ecosystem changes. The focus of this study was to characterize two genera of coprophilous fungi, Pilobolus and Ascobolus. These fungi are important in decomposing and recycling of nutrients from animal waste. Ascobolus fungi are important in genetic studies and have been identified as a source of enzymes and antibiotics. Pilobolus fungi pl...
ABSTRACT Agrochemicals have been used extensively all over the world for improved food security, industrial development, and poverty reduction. In Western Kenya, herbicides are used to clear weeds in sugarcane growing plantations. Uncontrolled and unregulated use of these herbicides results in contamination of both soils and the associated drainage systems. Their use may have adverse effects such as disruption of microbial, animal and plant diversity in addition to serious effects to human h...
ABSTRACT Emerging scientific data from pharmacological and physiological studies continue to show that tea has beneficial effects on human health by boosting immunity. In vitro studies have shown that flavonoids help immune response by acting as anti-cancer, anti-viral and antibacterial agents. In this study, different types of commercial tea samples were assayed for their phenolic composition, antioxidant activity and their effect on chronic inflammation induced by Trypanosoma brucei brucei...
ABSTRACT Cassava (Manihot esculenta Cranzt) is an important food security crop for resource poor rural communities particularly in Africa. Little is however known about variability of critical root nutritional, biochemical quality traits and molecular diversity of Kenyan cassava germplasm. This led to a study whose objective was to determine the nutritional quality traits of different genotypes of cassava cultivated in the central Rift Valley region of Kenya and to identify genetic constitut...
ABSTRACT Aflatoxin contamination is a major problem affecting cereal producers worldwide. Aspergillus species, which are known to produce these toxins, colonize cereals in the field, during post-harvest period through to storage. This study sought to establish variation in: (i) fungal species in maize and soil, (ii) their morphological diversity, (iii) the distribution of toxigenic Aspergillus species as well as, (iv) the seasonal variations of aflatoxins and (v) the predominant toxin type i...
ABSTRACT Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a tropical disease caused by two subspecies of Trypanosoma brucei: T. b. rhodesiense and T. b. gambiense. Melarsoprol, an organic arsenical is the only drug used to treat late stage T. b. rhodesiense infection in spite of its toxic side effects. A mouse model was adapted to study the effects of melarsoprol which was apparently toxic at normal intravenous doses of 3.6mg/kg body weight. Results from this study show that melarsoprol markedly reduc...
ABSTRACT Information on the vertebrate hosts of blood feeding vectors forms a useful decision-making tool in the planning of tsetse fly control and eradication operations. The objective of this study was to investigate the utility of mitochondrial Cytochrome c oxidase I and Cytochrome b gene sequences in the identification of tsetse fly blood meals in order to provide a basis for more rational control of trypanosomosis in East Africa. Blood fed Glossina swynnertoni were sampled from the Sere...
ABSTRACT Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is a mosquito borne viral infection, first reported in the Rift Valley province of Kenya in 1912 and identified in 1931. Major outbreaks have been reported in Kenya in 1997/1998 and 2006/2007. Baringo, Garissa and Kilifi district of Kenya were hot spots in the last major RVF outbreak that occurred in the country in 2006/2007. Investigations were conducted during the outbreak to establish putative mosquito vectors and vertebrate host of RVF virus. Engorged fem...
ABSTRACT The Lake Victoria region of western Kenya is malaria endemic with a suitable environment throughout the year for the transmission of Plasmodium parasites by its primary mosquito vector, Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.), as well as other secondary vectors. Malaria control largely depends on vector control using long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) that protect humans from infectious bites while sleeping. However, the success of this strategy is greatly threatened by resistance t...
ABSTRACT African trypanosomiases are a group of related diseases that affect humans (Human African Trypanosomiasis - HAT) and their livestock (Animal African Trypanosomiasis), with devastating medical and economic consequences for Africa. The diseases are caused by trypanosome parasites cyclically transmitted by tsetse flies. Recent reports indicate that HAT is on the decline in sub Sahara Africa. However, the disease still remains a major health problem in some parts of Africa such as South...
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 Micronutrient deficiency of zinc and iron is a major problem worldwide, especially in the developing countries that heavily rely on cereal rich diets for sustenance. Wheat is a popular staple cereal crop containing substantial levels of micronutrients and could be used as a tool for alleviating their deficiencies. The study reported herein focused on determining the concentration of zinc, iron, resistant starch (RS) and phytic acid in 9 newly released wheat varieties and their effec...