Background: Several occupational diseases of multiple origins are encountered among abattoir workers. Presence of indicator microorganisms (coliforms) on hands of workers can be used a gauge for hygienic practices.Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed to assess the prevalence of E.coli and enterobacteriaceae among Halal abattoir workers in some government halal abattoirs of Malaysia. A total of one hundred and sixty-five hand swab samples were collected from workers of Halal abattoirs in Malaysia. The samples were subjected to microbiological analysis for characterisation and serotyping.Results: The results have shown that no Escherichia coli O157:H7 was isolated on the hands of abattoir workers before and after work. However, a total prevalence of 9.7% was recorded for all samples during work. For non-O157:H7, total prevalence of 33.3% during work and 13% after work were obtained. High prevalence was recorded in sample taken during work from Tampin, Jasin and Kemaman (100% each) while low prevalence where observed in Shah Alam, Banting and Ipoh (20% each).Conclusions: Based on the findings the hygienic practices of hand washing among the workers in few locations was found to be low especially after work.

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Natural products from medicinal plants either as pure compounds or standardized extracts, provide unlimited opportunities for new drug leads, because of the unmatched availability of chemical diversity. Due to an increasing demand for therapeutic drugs from natural products, interest particularly in edible plants has grown throughout the world. The phytochemical screening was carried out via standard procedures while the isolation and characterization was done using different solvents via thin layer and column chromatography. The bioactivity studies of the purely active compound isolated was achieved using different clinical bacterial isolates, gram negative (E. coli and Salmonella typhi) and positive (Staphylococcus aureus); the radical scavenging power of the purely active compound was assayed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH) and characterization using GCMS, 1HNMR, 13CNMR and FTIR was carried out to facilitate structure elucidation. The focus of this paper is on the analytical and biological methodologies, which includes the extraction, isolation, bioactivity studies, and characterization of the purely active ingredients in the stem bark of Adenanthera pavonina.

Impact of indiscriminate discharge of abattoir wastewater has been a major cause of concern globally due to its negative effect on public and environmental health. Lack of wastewater treatment plants and guidelines for proper disposal in many developing countries generates other numerous ecological problems to the affected countries. Its role as a nutrient-provider for pathogenic microorganisms was highlighted by many researchers. Treatment of abattoir wastewater remains the main reliable and efficient means of reducing environmental pollution it may consequently cause. Environmental pollutants released through wastewater by abattoirs may be complicated due changes brought about by additional substance used during animal processing. Several methods adopted by abattoirs were reported to be effective. However, the need for improvement in line with environmentally friendly guidelines is recommended

Amylases are enzymes that are able to hydrolyse starch or glycogen molecules into polymers of glucose units. They have great potential applications in various industrial processes like in pharmaceutical, fermentation and food industries. Research on starch degrading enzymes has resulted into increased applications of amylases in different industrial processes. These enzymes occupy a greater space in the current biotechnological processes such as detergent, starch degradation, pharmaceutical, foodstuff, textile, and paper manufacturing. In fact, amylases constitute nearly 25% of the total sale of global enzymes. Amylases have been screened and identified from various sources, both eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms such as animals, plants, fungi and bacteria, respectively. To further isolate novel amylases with enhanced desirable properties for such diverse industrial application, more organisms need to be screened. In this study, a total of 27 bacterial isolates were isolated from soil samples in Gombe metropolis. The bacteria were screened for amylase production using plate screening method. Each isolate was streaked onto a 1% starch agar plate and incubated for 24h at 37 °C. The plates were covered with iodine solution and observed for positive amylase isolates based on the formation of clearing zones against the blue black background. The results confirmed eight (8) isolates of amylase-producing bacteria which include Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus spp., Salmonella spp., Pseudomonas spp., Serratia spp., Proteus vulgaris, and Klebsiella spp. In conclusion, bacterial isolates capable of amylase production have been successfully screened and identified. This research may serve as a stepping stone to isolating functional amylase enzymes from these bacteria for promising industrial applications.