Bacterial infection of wound plays an important role in the development of chronicity and delayed healing. In this study, a total of 50 wound swabs were aseptically collected from patients attending specialist hospital Jimeta Yola, Adamawa State and were screened for bacteria. The isolates were identified using Gram-staining and biochemical tests. Eight different bacterial species were identified with Staphylococcus aureus having the highest occurrence with 11(26.19%), followed by Escherichia coli 8(19.05%), Klebsiella pneumoniae 6(14.29%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis 5(11.9%), Proteus vulgaris, Streptococcus pyogenes 3(7.14%) and lastly, Bacillus subtilis with 1(2.38%). Antibiotic susceptibility test using Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method revealed that most of the Gram-positive isolates significantly resisted oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin. Most Gram negatives significantly resisted septrin, chloramphenicol, amoxicillin, augmentin and pefloxacin. Ciprofloxacin was 100% effective against both Gram positive and Gram-negative isolates. Plasmid curing of resistant isolates using 10% sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) revealed that resistance to penicillin, oxacillin, amoxicillin, augmentin and pefloxacin were plasmid borne whereas chloramphenicol and septrin (trimethoprim) were not. Bacteria associated with wound infections encompass both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria in nearly equal proportions with high rate of resistance among the isolates.

In this study, seventy five (75) soil samples were collected from farmlands, riverbanks and dumpsites and screened for the presence of Escherichia coli via inoculation on EMB, Gram’s staining and some biochemical tests. Overall, 15 E. coli isolates were identified. Dumpsite has the highest number of isolates with 9(60%), followed by farmland with four 4(26.7%) isolates, and lastly riverbank with two 2(13.3%) isolates. Subculture on Sorbitol-MacConkey agar revealed that 2 isolates from dumpsite were EHEC O157:H7. Most of the isolates were resistant to Amoxicillin and Augmentin (66.7% and 73.3% respectively). One of the EHEC strains was found to be resistant to Pefloxacin. Multidrug resistant isolates later became susceptible to previously resisted antibiotics after plasmid curing using 10% sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS). The outcome of this study suggests that EHEC O157:H7 is not common in the soil environment in comparison with other E. coli strains and it is found to be associated with dumpsites. Resistance to some of the antibiotics was plasmid-borne; therefore, indiscriminate use of antibiotics should be avoided to minimize rapid development of resistant bacterial strains. Dumping of refuse close to households should also be avoided so as to minimize the risk of infection with EHEC O157:H7.

The effective use of Ficus sycomorus and Hyphaene theibaica traditionally in treatment of variety of illnesses has been widely reported. The aim of the study was to determine the antimicrobial activities of the leaf extracts of Ficus sycomorus and Hyphaene theibaica on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. Fresh leaves of Ficus sycomorus and Hyphaene theibaica were collected, dried and subjected to ethanolic extraction, and screened for phytochemicals. Five different concentrations of each extract was prepared viz: 200, 160, 120, 80 and 40 mg/mL using distilled water as solvent and tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans using agar well diffusion method.   Qualitative phytochemical screening revealed that F. sycomorus contained phenol saponins, tannins, flavonoids and steroids while H. theibaica contains Saponin, flavonoids, alkaloid, phenol and steroids. Antimicrobial activity of ethanolic leaf extracts of Ficus sycomorus was observed only against Escherichia coli at 200 mg/mL. While no zones of inhibition were observed against any of the test isolates for ethanolic leaf extracts of Hyphaene theibaica. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of F. sycomorus extracts on E. coli was 100 mg/mL and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was 200 mg/mL. The activity of F. sycomorus leaf extract on E. coli being an enteric bacteria, could justify the traditional claims of its use in effective treatment of diarrhea and other stomach complications.