No abstract

The antifungal activities of extracts of 10 medicinal plants collected from south-eastern parts of Nigeria were tested against seven pathogenic fungi using the broth dilution and agar plate methods. All the extracts at 1:10 dilution inhibited the growth of Basidiobolus haptosporus and B. ranarum but did not inhibit that of Aspergillus fumigatus, Geotrichum candidum and Candida albicans. While extracts from Piper guineense, Ocimum gratissimum, Moringa oleifera and Erythrophleum suaveolens inhibited the growth of Trichophyton rubrum and T. mentagrophytes, those from Fatropha curcas, Mitracarpus villosus, Azadirachta indica and Gongronema latifolium failed to do so at 1:10 dilution. Extract from Piper sp. was also able to inhibit the growth of B. haptosporus at a concentration as low as 1:80 dilution followed by those of Ocimum and Rauvolfia spp. at 1:40 dilution. These results indicate possible use of certain plant extracts in the treatment of subcutaneous phycomycosis in humans and animals.

ObjectiveSeveral physical, biochemical and antioxidant properties of two Nigerian stingless bee honey varieties (Melipona sp. and Hypotrigona sp.) were compared with Apis mellifera honey using standard analytical procedures.ResultsThe mean pH of Apis mellifera, Hypotrigona sp. and Melipona sp. honeys were 4.24 ± 0.28, 3.75 ± 0.11 and 4.21 ± 0.37 respectively. The mean moisture contents of the honeys were 11.74 ± 0.47, 17.50 ± 0.80, and 13.86 ± 1.06%. Honey samples from Hypotrigona sp. when compared with other honey samples had the highest mean total dissolved solids (370.01 ± 22.51 ppm), hydroxymethylfurfural (16.58 ± 0.37 mg/kg), total acidity (35.57 ± 0.42 meq/kg), protein content (16.58 ± 0.37 g/kg), phenol content (527.41 ± 3.60 mg/kg), and ascorbic acid (161.69 ± 6.70 mg/kg), antioxidant equivalent—ascorbic acid assay value (342.33 ± 0.78 mg/kg) as well as ferric reducing power (666.88 ± 1.73 μM Fe(II)/100 g) (p < 0.05). Several strong correlations were observed among some of the parameters of the honeys. This is the first study to compare the properties of Nigerian honey bees. Our results suggested that these honeys (specifically Hypotrigona sp. honey) is a good source of antioxidants comparable to A. mellifera honey.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-017-2884-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

We conducted a recent survey of dermatological fungal infections amongst children in both urban and rural parts of Anambra State in the south-east geographical flank of Nigeria during the period January 2003 to December 2003. Samples were collected from 1624 children with clinically suggestive lesions and also between the ages of 4 and 16. Young children aged 7-11 and 4- 6 years had significantly higher incidences (P < 0.05) than their older colleagues aged 12-16 years among samples proved to be mycologically positive by microscopy, culture or both. There was a significant difference in the incidence of dermatophytoses amongst children in urban and rural areas investigated (P < 0.05). Tinea capitis was the predominant clinical type. Trichophyton tonsurans was the most prevalent etiological agent while Microsporum audouinii was the least in occurrence. We compared our result with a recent study in the northern geographical zone and observed that although incidence of dermatophytoses is higher in northern Nigeria, tinea capitis was the predominant clinical type in both regions. In addition, the etiological agents appear to vary from time to time in their occurrence and the reasons for these observations are discussed. A regular surveillance and assessment of the etiologic agent and its prevalence by medical mycologists is strongly recommended to facilitate monitoring, reduce/prevent transmission and spread of dermatophytes in countries like Nigeria where they constitute a public health problem.

No abstract