No abstract

BackgroundMalaria and intestinal helminths co-infection are major public health problems particularly among school age children in Nigeria. However the magnitude and possible interactions of these infections remain poorly understood. This study determined the prevalence, impact and possible interaction of Plasmodium falciparum and intestinal helminths co-infection among school children in rural communities of Kwara State, Nigeria.MethodsBlood, urine and stool samples were collected from 1017 primary school pupils of ages 4–15 years. Stool samples were processed using both Kato-Katz and formol-ether concentration techniques and microscopically examined for intestinal helminths infection. Urine samples were analyzed using sedimentation method for Schistosoma haematobium. Plasmodium falciparum was confirmed by microscopy using thick and thin blood films methods and packed cell volume (PCV) was determined using hematocrit reader. Univariate analysis and chi-square statistical tests were used to analyze the data.ResultsOverall, 61.2% of all school children had at least an infection of either P. falciparum, S. haematobium, or intestinal helminth. S. haematobium accounted for the largest proportion (44.4%) of a single infection followed by P. falciparum (20.6%). The prevalence of malaria and helminth co-infection in the study was 14.4%. Four species of intestinal helminths were recovered from the stool samples and these were hookworm (22.5%), Hymenolepis species (9.8%), Schistosoma mansoni (2.9%) and Enterobius vermicularis (0.6%). The mean densities of P. falciparum in children co-infected with S. haematobium and hookworm were higher compared to those infected with P. falciparum only though not statistically significant (p = 0.062). The age distribution of both S. haematobium (p = 0.049) and hookworm (p = 0.034) infected children were statistically significant with the older age group (10–15 years) recording the highest prevalence of 47.2% and 25% respectively. Children who were infected with S. haematobium (RR = 1.3) and hookworm (RR = 1.4) have equal chances of being infected with P. falciparum as children with no worm infection. On the other hand children infected with Hymenolepis spp. (p<0.0001) are more likely to be infected with P. falciparum than Hymenolepis spp. uninfected children (RR = 2.0)ConclusionsThese findings suggest that multiple parasitic infections are common in school age children in rural communities of Kwara State Nigeria. The Hymenolepis spp. induced increase susceptibility to P. falciparum could have important consequences on how concurrent infections affect the expression or pathogenesis of these infections.

No abstract

No abstract

This study was carried out to determine the degree of contamination by bacterial agents on the white coats in hospital setting. Multistage method was used to select respondents across cadre, sex and department for the questionnaire. Cuffs, sleeve and mouths of pocket of doctors' white coats were swabbed using wet sterile swab stick. The swabs were analyzed using standard procedure for bacterial contamination. The study revealed that 77.7% of the coats were contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus (45.1%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (26.2%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (22.6%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3.7%) and Enterococcus faecalis (2.4%). White coats of male resident doctors were more contaminated than that of the female resident doctors, while white coats of doctors from the Department of Surgery had the highest degree of contamination than other Departments. There was a significant difference between the age of white coats, usage, frequency of washing and number of white coats per doctor (P <0.05) but no significant difference between age and number of white coats possessed on the number of isolates found on the sleeve and mouth of pocket of the white coats (P>0.05). Conclusively, doctors' white coats were highly contaminated with pathogenic aerobic bacteria. Proper maintenance and handling practices of the white coats are precautions to be taken in order to minimize the degree of bacterial contamination and to prevent cross contamination of healthcare associated infection pathogens in hospital setting.