Aim: To study the antibacterial effect of Chromolaena odorata extracts on multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae from wounds. Place of Study: University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, between January and June 2019. Methodology: A total of 87 wound swabs were collected from patients of University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Akure. Air-dried and powdered C. odorata leaves were extracted using hot water, ethanol and methanol as extraction solvents and concentrated using a rotary evaporator. The concentrated C. odorata extracts were purified using chromatographic techniques. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening of C. odorata extracts were done by standard methods. Antibiotics susceptibility pattern of bacterial isolates to a panel of ten (10) conventional antibiotics was determined by disc diffusion method. Results: C. odorata methanolic extract had the highest extract yield (26.2%). From the multidrug resistance analysis, 66.7% of bacterial isolates tested had multidrug resistance index (MDRI) of 100%. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was susceptible to 100 mg/ml of C. odorata ethanolic extract but resistant (0.00±0.00) to 100 mg/ml of hot aqueous C. odorata extract. Conclusion: This study reveals the inhibitory activities of C. odorata extracts on multidrug resistant bacteria isolated from wounds and an indication of their potential in the treatment of wound infection.

Wetlands are important ecosystems with physical and economic benefits. However, many reports confirm the drastic loss of wetlands due to urbanisation and anthropogenic activities in many parts of the world. This study focused on the present-day state of wetlands in the Republic of South Africa. A meta-analysis was performed to elucidate the distribution and level of protection of selected wetlands. The classification of existing wetlands and the threat against wetlands were reported. Wetlands in South Africa are grossly endangered by human pollution, developmental activities, and invasive plants. From data obtained, about 47.89% of reported wetlands have a low level of protection and are thus susceptible to threats. The South African Department of Environmental Affairs protects most of the wetlands (28.17%) in the country. Major weaknesses identified for wetland degradation are the ignorance of people about the benefits of wetlands and the weak implementation of frameworks and policies that currently exist. The impact of legislations and policies on the preservation of wetlands is presented as well as the need for community education on environmental degradation. Therefore, the current state of several wetlands calls for urgent attention, and there is need for a strengthening of existing laws and policies in order to prevent wetland damage and extinction.

Background This review aims at establishing the emerging applications of phytobiotics in water treatment and disinfection. Results Statistical analysis of data obtained revealed that the use of plant product in water treatment needs more research attention. A major observation is that plants possess multifaceted components and can be sustainably developed into products for water treatment. The seed (24.53%), flower (20.75), leaf (16.98%) and fruit (11.32%) biomasses are preferred against bulb (3.77%), resin (1.89%), bark (1.89%) and tuber (1.89%). The observation suggests that novel applications of plant in water treatment need further exploration since vast and broader antimicrobial activities (63.63%) is reported than water treatment application (36.37%). Conclusions This review has revealed the existing knowledge gaps in exploration of plant resources for water treatment and product development. Chemical complexity of some plant extracts, lack of standardisation, slow working rate, poor water solubility, extraction and purification complexities are limitations that need to be overcome for industrial adoption of phytochemicals in water treatment. The field of phytobiotics should engage modern methodologies such as proteomics, genomics, and metabolomics to minimise challenges confronting phytobiotic standardisation. The knowledge disseminated awaits novel application for plant product development in water treatment.

There is an established link between deforestation and negative hydrological effects which may affect watersheds. The number of the cycads Encephalartos transvenosus Stapf & Burtt Davy in South Africa is drastically reducing, and they are nearly extinct. Additionally, poaching and reduction in the population of cycads in reserves may impact negatively on watersheds in protected and buffer areas since the regeneration of this plant occurs over a long period. This research aimed to study the distributions of poached cycads, evaluate the factors responsible for poaching activity and suggest possible solutions towards conservation of E. transvenosus Stapf & Burtt Davy in some of the nature reserves in Limpopo province. Field observation was used to ascertain and collect locations of poached cycads. Data was obtained through the use of a questionnaire. Questionnaires were administered to rangers for the collection of data on causes of poaching, parts poached, measures taken and challenges of rangers in the nature reserves. Processing of the collected data was done by simple statistical analysis. The total population of rangers available in the reserves was used for the determination of the sample size of rangers by Slovin’s formula. Unemployment (46%) is the leading cause for poaching in Mphaphuli Nature Reserve, while trade is a leading factor in Modjadji and Lekgalameetse (37% and 60%) respectively. Debarked cycads amount to 14 (54%) while 12 of the total (26 poached cycads) were completely removed (46%). The most effective way of stopping the poaching of cycads as perceived by the rangers is by patrolling the nature reserves. The observed poaching of Encephalartos transvenosus is alarming since this plant has a low population size which is currently confined to the Limpopo Province in South Africa only. If poaching continues in the nature reserves, all cycads have the tendency of being removed. Therefore, there is a need to continually develop strategies for the conservation of cycads. The peculiar nature and challenges of each reserve have been established and unique solutions for these nature reserves in Limpopo Province have been proposed. Better conservation of cycad species can positively impact the hydrological process of the concerned area and better help the watersheds.

Background The global development of innovative antimicrobial drugs and drug design techniques has been necessitated by the persistent increase of multidrug resistant infections. Regardless of advances in technology for detecting pathogenic bacteria and their resistance genes (DNA-based assays), most bacteriological studies of infections still use conventional cultural techniques and susceptibility testing as reference standards. Commonly used conventional assays such as the disc diffusion test and broth micro-dilution have been effective in defining pathogen susceptibility and determining the minimum inhibitory concentration of antimicrobial agents. However, they are still prone to error and time consuming, hence, not sufficient in the face of the urgent need for answers to sporadic worldwide disease maladies. Main body In this review, we describe a developing but promising method for gauging/measuring the amount of energy released when a cell is actively metabolizing, which may then be used to calculate the bacterial cell's growth rate. The isothermal microcalorimetry (IMC) calscreener translate heat production of cellular metabolism which is pertinent to the operation of all biological life in demonstrating a more advanced technique for drug design and discovery, especially in the area of pathogen-specific chemotherapy. Conclusion The IMC calscreener technology is sacrosanct in establishing the heat levels in microwatt to read the metabolic kinematics of biological specimens with emphasis on medically-relevant bacteria within a closed scheme. The application of this technology also looks promising in antimicrobial chemotherapy and metal recovery.