August 2010
New advances in the rapid diagnosis of typhoid fever
For effective management of typhoid, diagnosis of the disease must be done with speed and accuracy. Laboratory diagnosis of typhoid fever requires isolation and identification of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi. In many areas where the disease is endemic, laboratory capability is limited. Recent advances in molecular immunology have led to the identification of sensitive and specific markers...
August 2010
Potential application of plant essential oils at sub-lethal concentrations under extrinsic conditions that enhance their antimicrobial effectiveness against pathogenic bacteria
The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of extrinsic factors on the antimicrobial effectiveness of essential oils (EOs) against medically important gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Clove, oregano, bay and cinnamon essential oils were tested against Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereusand Listeria innocua. Agar diffusion test was used to estimate...
August 2010
Investigation antibacterial activity of Streptomycetes isolates from soil samples, West of Iran
In this research, our goal is to determine Streptomyces species with antimicrobial activity from some regions of Northwest of Iran. The future studies will be performed to investigate the type of antimicrobial agents. In order to achieve to this aim, soil sample collected were diluted and cultured in SCA medium. The Actinomyceteswere isolated considering morphological characteristics in...
August 2010
Characterization of physiologic races of sugarcane smut (Ustilago scitaminea) in Kenya
Sugarcane smut disease caused by the fungus Ustilago scitaminea significantly reduces the yield and quality of sugarcane. The disease was first reported in Kenya in 1958, in Nyanza and Coastal provinces and currently occurs in all major sugarcane growing areas of Kenya. Planting resistant varieties is the main smut control measure in Kenya. Planting smut resistant varieties was made compulsory in Kenya in...
August 2010
Bacterial species associated with soils contaminated with used petroleum products in Keffi town, Nigeria
This investigation was carried out to determine the bacterial flora of soils contaminated with used oil (petroleum products) in Keffi town. Pour plate method involving the use of serial dilutions was employed for the isolation of the bacteria. Soil samples from 10 different mechanic workshops in Keffi town were obtained and plated out on plate count agar, eosin methylene blue agar, brilliant green agar,...
August 2010
Antimicrobial susceptibility of non-sorbitol fermenting Escherichia coli isolated from cattle feaces and milk samples
The objective was to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of the non-sorbitol fermenting Escherichia coli colonies from cattle feaces and milk samples collected from Dagoretti division in Nairobi. A total of 285 feacal and 260 milk were collected from urban dairy farming households while non-dairy households provided 137 milk samples. The samples were used for culture and isolation...
August 2010
The osmoprotective effect of L-carnitine factor on the bacterial growth of Streptococcus agalactiae and Escherichia coli
In response to osmotic stress, gram positive bacteria Streptococcus agalactiae and enterobacteria Escherichia coli accumulates compatible solutes from the medium, stress response systems may enable bacteria to adapt cellular response and survival systems to a variety of stress conditions. S. agalactiae and E. coli strainshave a transporter for carnitine that can respond...
August 2010
Intestinal helminth infection and anaemia during pregnancy: A community based study in Ghana
Intestinal helminths are among the most common and widespread of human infections, contributing to poor nutritional status, anaemia and impaired growth. Anaemia and iron deficiency in pregnancy is a major public health problem in developing countries, but their causes are not always known. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of anaemia and iron deficiency and their...
August 2010
Antimicrobial activity of propolis extract on bacteria isolated from nasopharynx of patients with upper respiratory tract infection admitted to Central Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria
The study was aimed at determining the bacterial agents of the upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and the susceptibility of isolates to propolis. Propolis extract was obtained by 70% ethanol and serial dilutions of 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 10 µg/ml prepared. A total of 250 throat swabs were obtained from patients (age between 15 - 30 years) which were diagnosed with upper respiratory tract...
August 2010
Mycoflora of stored “Ofada†and “Abakaliki†rice in Lagos and Ogun States, Southwestern Nigeria
The presence of fungal contaminants in Ofada and Abakaliki rice varieties under storage in Lagos and Ogun States, Nigeria were examined. The fungal species isolated from the Ofada rice were Actinomycetes spp., Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus tamarii, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Fusarium compacticum, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium proliferatum, Penicillium...
August 2010
Variation in mitochondrial activity over the life cycle of Nadsonia fulvescens
The yeast Nadsonia fulvescens is characterized by a unique life cycle. After conjugation between the parent cell and the first bud, the zygote moves into a second bud formed at the opposite end of the parent cell. This second bud is then delimited by a septum and becomes the ascus. Usually one, rarely two spherical, brownish, spiny to warty ascospores are formed within the ascus giving rise to brown...
August 2010
Sequence analysis of the groEL gene and its potential application in identification of pathogenic bacteria
This study aims to develop a rapid method for identifying pathogenic bacteria based on the sequence difference of pathogenic bacteria groEL gene. A pair of universal degenerate primers was designed to amplify the groEL genes of 34 major species of 16 genus’s of pathogenic bacteria. The conservation, variation and the interspecies phylogenetic relations of...
August 2010
Escherichia coli O157:H7 EDL933 has a strong virulence to Bama miniature pigs by injection and fails to colonize to their gastrointestinal tracts
Detection of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 from commercially grown pigs has been reported. Furthermore, the E. coli O157:H7 colonized model of pig has been established and E. coli O157:H7 could be transmitted from infected donor pigs to naïve pigs directly and indirectly. In the present study, we want to know whether any E. coli O157:H7 strain can...
August 2010
Analysis of early-stage infection risk factors after living donor liver transplantation in 25 children
Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), which was first demonstrated in 1989, has now been widely used to cure many late-stage hepatic diseases and has achieved huge success, especially in the pediatric field. However, accumulated studies indicate that early-stage infection after LDLT is the main cause leading to its failure and the death of the patient. Here, we retrospectively analyzed 25 cases (from...
August 2010
Direct detection of Brenneria rubrifaciens by PCR-based assay using rubrifacine synthetic gene
A rapid high-throughput, specific and sensitive PCR-based assay coupled with DNA hybridization technique for the detection of deep bark canker (DBC) pathogenBrenneria rubrifaciens directly from mixed bacterial cells and in planta was developed. These result shows that the specific genetic markers have a powerful potential to detect B. rubrifaciens directly from crude samples at field...
August 2010
Expression and characterization of the recombinant Trichoderma virens endochitinase Cht2
An endochitinase, Cht2, from Trichoderma virens UKM1 was expressed in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris, and its biochemical properties were characterized. Both the cht2 gene and its cDNA have been cloned and sequenced, the endochitinase gene cht2 encodes 321 amino acids from an open reading frame comprised of an 1169 bp nucleotide sequence separated by three introns. Cht2...
August 2010
Characterization of Enterococci isolated from Moroccan dairy products
Twenty three Enterococcus durans isolates collected from Moroccan dairy products were identified by species-specific PCR and their technologically relevant biochemical properties were studied. According to biochemical activities, the majority of the strains displayed weak acidification and autolysis activities in milk. In contrast, they showed high extracellular proteolytic activity. All isolates...
August 2010
In vitro effects of four heavy metals on glyphosate utilization by some bacteria isolated from rice fields
The effect of heavy metals (zinc, cadmium, chromium and lead) at concentrations 50, 100 and 500 μg/ml of the heavy metal salts on glyphosate utilization by some bacterial species isolated from rice fields were studied, the addition of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) to the glyphosate mineral salt medium used in growing the Acetobacter sp. significantly (P < 0.05) increased the rate of...
August 2010
Protective effect of Glycyrrhiza glabra polysaccharides against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in rats
The objective of the present study was to investigate potential of Glycyrrhiza glabrapolysaccharides to offer protection against acute liver injury in rats. Rats were administered a single oral dose carbon tetrachloride (CCl4, 640 mg/kg b.w., 1:1 in groundnut oil) and sacrificed 7 days of post-treatment. Hepatic damage was assessed by employing biochemical parameters. Our results demonstrated that...
August 2010
Quantification of aflatoxin B1 in ready-to-use food thickeners in South-east geo-political zone in Nigeria
A total of 150 ready to use food thickeners were randomly collected from various markets in both urban and rural settings. Four of the samples tested Achi (Brachystegia eurycoma), Akpalata (Afzelia africana), Ofor (Detarium microcarpum), and Ukpo (Mucuna flagellipes) were contaminated with fungal flora. The most common and prevalent fungi observed on incubated powdered form of food thickeners on...
August 2010
Isolation and partial characterization of a bacteriophage infecting the shrimp pathogen Vibrio harveyi
A bacteriophage infecting Vibrio harveyi was isolated from shrimp pond water, it was designated PW2. It infected all strains of V. harveyi but not other bacteria used in this study. The phage adsorption rate increased rapidly in the first 15 min of infection to 80% and continued to increase to 90% within 30 min of infection. The stability of phage PW2 was dependent on temperature...
August 2010
Effect of raw commercial honeys from Nigeria on selected pathogenic bacteria
The antibacterial effect of eight unprocessed commercial honey sold in some local markets in Nigeria were investigated. These samples were selected to examine and compare their ability to inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis. The test organisms were isolated from wound swabs of patients at the University of Port...
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