April 2009
Traditional crop farmers in Kogi East, Nigeria elucidate elevated HIV and AIDS prevalence levels during a five - year sampling period
The United Nations reported that HIV and AIDS have negative impact upon agriculture and increasing hunger in sub-Saharan Africa. Such a situation is postulated to synonymously occur in Nigeria. This study therefore, aimed to investigate the prevalence level of HIV antibodies and AIDS among traditional crop farmers and non-farmers comprising traders, drivers, teachers and students in Kogi East. This is one of the primary...
April 2009
Yeast strains isolated from HIV-seropositive patients in Cameroon and their sensitivity to extracts of eight medicinal plants
A total of 530 HIV-seropositive patients, undergoing treatment at the Phytobiotechnology Research Foundation (PRF) Clinic from May 2007 to May 2008, were screened for yeast infection using various specimens. Of the total number of patients, 318 were females and 212 were males. The specimens comprised 550 stools specimens, 422 oral swabs, 98 sputum specimens, 60 vaginal swabs and 25 urine specimens. These were...
April 2009
Modified atmosphere packaging to improve the microbial stability of Ricotta
In this work, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) was used to prolong the Ricotta shelf life. In particular, three different MAP were tested. The quality loss of the product was assessed by monitoring microbial and physico-chemical parameters over an 8-day period. Results suggest that MAP, and in particular that richer in carbon dioxide, inhibits microbial growth without a significant effect on lactic acid bacteria,...
April 2009
Production of amylase by bacteria isolated from a cassava waste dumpsite in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria
Ten grams (10 g) of soil sample obtained from a cassava waste dumpsite in Kasuwan Gwandabe, Minna, Niger State, was bacteriologically analyzed. Onegram (1.0 g) of the sample inoculated into a liquid soluble starch medium generated reducing sugar with a concentration of 1.65 mg/ml after 72 h. Characterization of the soluble starch amylases revealed an optimum temperature of activity of 70°C. Optimum pH for...
April 2009
Production of bioethanol from guinea cornhusk and millet husk
The use of guinea corn husk and millet husk (agricultural waste with no appreciable value to industries or competitive use as food) as alternative and cost-effective feed stock for the production of bioethanol was examined. The methods used, included: acid hydrolysis with 2.5 M H2SO4, and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation with Aspergillus niger and Zymomonas mobilisisolated from...
April 2009
Identification of newly detected Puccinia pimpinellae on anise plant in Egypt and its control using biotic and abiotic elicitors in relation to growth and yield
An emerging problem for the wider adoption of anise plantations in Egypt is the damage caused by the rust fungus. The detailed description and taxonomic studies (using light and scanning electron microscopy) show that such an obligate parasite fungus (Puccinia pimpinellae) is autoecious microcyclic (uredinial-telial stage only). Among tested Apiaceae plants, the host range test proved the specificity of...
April 2009
The role of pectinase enzyme in the development of soft rot caused by Pseudomonas fluorescens in the purple variety of onions (Allium cepa)
Pectic enzyme production was induced in vitro by culturing the pathogen (P flourescens) in minimal salt medium containing citrus pectin as the only carbon source and in vivo by inoculating the pathogen into healthy onion bulbs. The spent broth and onion rot extract were obtained and enzyme detection was done using viscometric method and cup plate assay. The crude enzyme was partially purified by...
April 2009
Preliminary study on the effect of anaerobically digested cow dung slurry on the antimicrobial activity of three medicinal plants
The study investigated the effect of anaerobically digested cow dung using polyethylene tube digester on the antimicrobial property of Aloe barbadensis, (Aloe vera) Allium sativum (Garlic) and Zingiber officinale (Ginger). The methanol extracts of the three medicinal plants grown on soil augmented with anaerobically digested cow dung slurry exhibited marked antimicrobial activities...
April 2009
Surgical site infections: Assessing risk factors, outcomes and antimicrobial sensitivity patterns
A prospective study was carried out on 1125 surgeries for the incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs). The etiologic agent was isolated, identified and the antibiotic susceptibility pattern was determined using standard methods. The risk associated with SSIs was assessed by multivariate regression logistic analysis. A case-control study was carried out for the outcome of SSIs. The outcomes measured were:...
April 2009
Antibacterial activity of Terminalia chebula fruit extract
An ethanol extract of Terminalia chebula fruit was studied for its antibacterial activity against clinically important standard reference bacterial strains. The antimicrobial susceptibility was screened using the disc diffusion method and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined using the broth microdilution method. The results showed that it was active against both gram-positive and...
April 2009
Beneficial uses of probiotics in mass scale production of marine ornamental fish
Mass scale culture of marine ornamental fish is facing many problems caused by pathogenic microorganisms. The accumulation of unconsumed feed and bad water quality influence the growth of pathogenic forms of the Vibrio sp. To avoid these problems probiotics are used as an alternative agent in vitro for efficacy based on the inhibition of growth of pathogenic Vibrio sp and also it decreased...
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