No abstract

This study investigates the prevalence of R-plasmids in Salmonella sp. isolated from blood samples of suspected typhoid patients in Warri, Nigeria. A total of 136 blood samples were collected between May and December,2009 and screened for the presence of Salmonellae using standard blood culture techniques of which 20(14.7%) was positive for the pathogen. The multidrug resistant (MDR) isolates obtained (n=16; 80.0%), exhibiting the Ampicillin, Chloramphenicol, Cotrimoxazole and Tetracyclin (ACCoT) resistance profile, were subjected to plasmid curing. All (100%) of these MDR isolates bore their resistance markers on plasmids, as they lost their resistance sequel to the curing experiment. The low prevalence (14.7%) of the pathogen in the blood samples indicate that a good number of the suspected typhoid cases may not be incidences of the disease afterall. Furthermore, the high prevalence of MDR and plasmid-mediated MDR (80.0% and 100% respectively) isolates, suggest that treatment failures may be rampant if precise susceptibility test is not conducted prior to prescription.

The failure of antimicrobial agents in the treatment of some ailments has become a great concern to health care practitioners. This could be as a result of low quality drugs, sneaked into the market by those who fake them, thus, this study was carried out to evaluate the sensitivity of various brands of Amoxicillin and Ampicillin on clinical isolates of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi. The test organisms were clinical bacterial isolates obtained from clinical samples from four hospitals/laboratories in Delta State, Nigeria. The antibiotics were subjected to two fold serial dilution method to determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) from which the sensitivity of the isolates to the various brands of the antibiotics was determined. The result showed that the sensitivity of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi to the various brands of Amoxicillin are 54, 62 and 68% respectively. The result also revealed that the sensitivity of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi to Ampicillin are 64, 64 and 70% respectively. The result further indicates that a mean sensitivity of the isolates to Amoxicillin was 61%, while the mean sensitivity to Ampicillin was obtained as 66%. The study has therefore established the need for a routine evaluation of antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals in the Nigerian markets.

The antimicrobial activity of Kalanchoe pinnata (Syn Bryophyllum pinnatum) against clinical pathogen is well documented in literature but there is paucity of information on its effect against plant pathogens. This work attempts to evaluate inhibitory activity of Kalanchoe pinnata (Syn Bryophyllum pinnatum) on selected plant pathogens. Aqueous, acetone, ethanol and methanol leaf, stem and root extracts of Kalanchoe pinnata (Syn Bryophyllum pinnatum) were prepared using standard techniques. Extracts were tested against bacteria and fungi isolated from some diseased plants, both singly and in combination with standard antimicrobials. Inhibitory activity was determined using agar well diffusion technique as well as broth dilution technique. Results indicate that the leaf ethanol extract was most effective against the plant pathogens. Zones of inhibition (mm) ranged from [19.0 ± 0.32] for Aspergillus flavus to [23.5 ± 0.22] for Xanthomonas campestris. Meanwhile, the Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) reduced from 6.25 mg/mL to 3.13 mg/mL (for Xanthomonas oryzae and Xanthomonas campestris) when leaf extract was used in combination with streptomycin. Furthermore, MIC reduced from 1.56 mg/mL to 0.78 mg/mL (for Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger) when extract was used in combination with cycloheximide. Ethanol leaf extract of Kalanchoe pinnata (Syn Bryophyllum pinnatum) was most effective against selected plant pathogens. Also, effectiveness of extract was enhanced when used in combination with regular antimicrobial. Kalanchoe pinnata (Syn Bryophyllum pinnatum) may become useful as a biological control agent for plant disease pathogens