Salmonella are pathogenic bacteria that can contaminate food products during or after processing. They are among the most important food borne pathogens worldwide contaminating a wide range of animal products including meat products. Human illnesses due to this pathogen are attributed to poor biosecurity in production and improper processing/handling of meat and meat products. This is more likely where surveillance and regulatory control are weak. Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, like roasted meat (Suya) in Ilorin, do not undergo any treatment to ensure its safety before consumption, therefore the risk of food borne disease occurrence must be considered if these pathogens are present in the food. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of Salmonella in Suya in Ilorin, Nigeria. A total of 102 Suya samples were collected and analysed for the presence of Salmonella. Samples were obtained from 5 major markets, consisting of a total of 15 Suya retail outlets. Organism isolation and identification were done using conventional methods. Confirmation of suspected isolates was done using Microbact GNB 24E. Five samples (4.9%) were positive for Salmonella. Confirmed Salmonella isolates were evaluated in vitro for susceptibilities to 12 commonly used antimicrobial agents. All (100%) of the confirmed Salmonella isolates exhibited multiple resistance to at least 3 antibiotics and exhibited five antimicrobial resistance phenotypic patterns. The classes of antibiotics they were resistant to are: aminoglycosides, cephalosporin, penicillin and tetracycline. The isolation of Multiple Drug Resistant (MDR) Salmonella species in this study makes Suya potential vehicle for the transmission of Salmonella. Effort should be made to sensitize producers of Suya on the potential risk of the product being vehicles for the transmission of food borne pathogens and the need to maintain high level hygiene during production. The public should be educated to only patronize reliable Suya joints. Constant research work should be carried out to evaluate the level of contamination of ready to eat foods like Suya in order to be able to take informed decisions.

Disease conditions invariably affect the activities and physiology of common buzzards irrespective of whether they are non-infectious or infectious. The impact of these diseases is further compounded by the stress of captivity in rehabilitation facilities. The aim of the study is to relate weight gain and food consumption to disease conditions in common buzzard. Fifty common buzzards were studied in five batches of 10 birds at a time. The absolute quantity of meat consumed was recorded after taking cognizance of the moisture lost by evaporation. Birds with infectious, non-infectious and those with both non-infectious and infectious diseases on the average consumed 111.9g, 116.6g and 110.3g of food daily, while their weight gain was 18.8%, 12.2% and 17.6% respectively. There were only slight differences in the amount of food consumed and percentage weight gained by the 3 categories of birds.

The recent outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa and the sensational news and report of confirmed cases in Nigeria sparked off considerable but justifiable concerns and political commitments, not only in the West African Sub-region but in other parts of the world. EVD is a rapidly fatal and highly contagious disease, killing more than 50% of its infected victims. The global implications of the disease, beyond the immediately affected geographical region, are enormous, especially on international trade, travels, health, sport, political gatherings and widespread stigmatization of individuals, countries and even the continents. At present, there is no licensed drug or vaccine to prevent or cure the disease. The constraint of rapid dissemination of vital information about the disease to rural and poorly accessible areas is a major impediment. Inadequate health facilities, deep rooted socio-cultural taboos, belief and practices collectively constitute serious stumbling block to controlling the disease. The natural reservoir host of Ebola virus remains unknown. However, on the basis of available evidence, researchers believe that the virus is zoonotic (animal borne) with bat being the most suspected reservoir. The potential transmission of EVD is considerable and the task of controlling it is daunting.