ABSTRACT Sanitary materials (pads and diapers) are mainly made of cellulose and non-degradable synthetic elements including superabsorbent gel which collects fluids. These materials are disposed of in the open together with other domestic waste in the low-income urban settlements in Kenya. The waste remains uncollected for long, thus posing health risk to street children and the neighborhood especially when scattered by stray dogs, cats and chicken. The scattered sanitary materials are a nuis...
ABSTRACT Salmonellosis is one of the most common and widely distributed group of enteric diseases in the world today. It causes high mortality and morbidity especially in developing countries. This study was aimed at identifying the factors that predispose people to salmonellosis. In addition the study was meant to isolate Salmonella, and determine its antimicrobial sensitivity and test the effectiveness of water treatment for the control of salmonellosis. To identify the predisposing factors...
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...
ABSTRACT Proper management strategies for huge amounts of crop residue generated from agricultural farms need to be obtained. Composting is a good strategy in rice straw management. Traditional methods of composting rice straw are limited in timely production of good quality compost due to its recalcitrant nature. There is need to develop and formulate microbial starter cultures that are adapted to local climatic conditions to ensure efficiency in using microorganisms in composting. This st...
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...
ABSTRACT Hepatitis, especially B, C and Syphilis co infections are very common among HIV infected individuals and their manifestation is a growing public health concern. These diseases share similar modes of transmission with HIV. However, at earlier stages these infections are myriads that mirrors one another hence they are easily missed. Due to this particular challenge, the infection prevalence of the cases is not fully known in most areas of the country, with rural settings of Nyandarua ...
ABSTRACT While foodborne diseases remain an important public health problem worldwide, one of the most significant food safety hazards is associated with those from animals. Food borne infections and illnesses are a major international health problem with consequent economic reduction and deaths. Meat is considered the most important source of proteins consumed by humans, yet most perishable. For highly perishable foodstuffs such as fresh red meat, the threat of food poisoning is particularl...
ABSTRACT Ralstonia solanacearum (RS) is the causal agent of bacterial wilt (BW) which affects over 200 species of tropical and subtropical plants. The study of these bacteria is of economic importance since it poses a big threat to the solanaceous crops. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of inorganic compounds treatment(s) namely: ChalimTM (Calcium hypochrolite), Metham sodium (MS) (positive control) and negative control (Co) versus organic compound such as Brassica s...
ABSTRACT Cotyledon explants from mature groundnut seeds (Arachis hypogaea L.) adapted to eastern and southern Africa, were optimized to obtain adventitious shoot buds with high frequencies. This was done using commercial bleach (jik, active ingredient sodium hypochlorite (3.5% v/v NaOCl) at different concentrations and exposure time as compared to 0.1% mercuric chloride. Results showed that 0.525% NaOCl and 1.050% NaOCl concentrations within an exposure time of 10-20 minutes were the optimum ...
ABSTRACT Molecular studies of ESβL-producing bacteria isolated from clinical samples was determined as well as the effects of medicinal plants on the isolates. The study was conducted from September 2013 to September 2015. A total of 480 bacterial isolates (250 from urine, 110 from wound swab & 120 from HVS & US) were used. The knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of health workers in Imo State towards multiple antibiotic resistant bacterial isolates and extended spectrum beta-lactamase ...
ABSTRACT Fish contain omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA’s), vitamins and other micronutrients. However, fish and seafood rank among foods highly associated with food borne disease outbreaks especially in poor hygienic conditions while handling or processing foods. The objectives of this study were to determine the risk factors associated with fish contamination, levels of microbial contamination and molecular profiles of bacterial isolates. In addition, antimicrobial response patter...
ABSTRACT Sustainable mango production will rely increasingly on alternatives to conventional chemical insecticides that are environmentally friendly for the management of fruit flies. The use of microbial control agents such as fungi in pest suppression is considered suitable since micro-organisms usually exert low environmental impact and are target specific. Application methods of bio-pesticides in the environment, which use minimal amount of inoculum is currently under improvement from inu...
ABSTRACT Neisseria gonorrhoea has progressively developed resistance to previously used drugs and recently to fluoroquinolones. Currently, there have been reports of emergency of N. gonorrhoea strains with reduced susceptibility and some exhibiting extensive multidrug resistant to the cephalosporin class of antibiotics that remains to be the remaining option for management of gonorrhoea. In Kenya, published reports regarding the drug susceptibility of N. gonorrhoea is scanty because of lack o...
ABSTRACT Crickets are drawing interest as sustainable source of protein for food and feed worldwide. However, there is little information on microbial quality of edible crickets thus the need for a profound insight into their safety. The objective of the study was to determine the microbial load of two edible cricket species Scapsipedus marginatus and Gryllus bimaculatus and to evaluate the efficiency of different processing methods (boiling, sun-drying, freeze-drying, snap freezing and deep...
ABSTRACT HIV infection continues to be among the leading causes of global mortality. Genital ulcer disease increases the risk of HIV infection. Ulcerative STDs such as Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) and syphilis cause breaks in the skin or mucous membranes, disrupt barriers that provide protection againstHIV-1 infections. It has been shown that HSV-2 is the single most important sexually transmitted infection that is fueling the HIV epidemic in Africa.. There is also an estimated two to ...