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This study was carried out to identify and estimate the prevalence of intestinal parasites of poultry in Iwo local council of Osun state, Nigeria. A total of 250 layers comprising of 75 chicks, 100 growers and 75 adults were examined from five different poultry houses between April and July 2016 in different areas during the survey. Our finding showed that 62% were infected with different species of parasites. Parasites identified includes Ascaridia galli; coccidian; Heterakis gallinae (C ecal worm); Syngamus trachea (Gapeworms); Capillaria annulata (Thread worm) and Tape worm. Among the helminthes, Ascaridia, galli was the most dominant species (17.2%). Generally, there was a significantly higher coccidia infestation relative to the helminthes (P < .05). Infection was greater among adults. There was no significance in prevalence of infection in relation to the location of poultry houses. There was high prevalence of mixed infections. Parasitism could be a big constraint to production in the study area and we recommend a sustainable control strategy.

This research work focuses on finding more effective polymers that can improve the rheological properties of bentonite mud. Various mud samples were formulated with natural polymers obtained from corn starch, cassava starch, purple potato starch, yellow potato starch and saw dust consisting of different masses which were not treated or purified by any chemical method before and after preparation along with the control mud. Rheology tests were carried out to determine the plastic viscosity, apparent viscosity, yield point, gel strength among others. API standards were followed throughout the experimental study and the result from this investigation showed that increasing the concentration of polymers enhances the mud rheological properties studied at ambient condition, wherein thermal stability was exhibited up till 100°C. Thus, environmental friendly alternatives have been discovered for drilling fluid additives which are cheap, organic, bio-degradable, non-toxic and easily available

In this study, water extracts of leaves of Azadirachta indica and stem bark of Alstonia boonei, and their recipe were evaluated at 25.0%, 50.0% and 100.0% following DNA fragmentation and micronucleus assays in Swiss albino mice. Distilled water and 0.05% sodium azide served as negative and positive controls, respectively. The levels of superoxide dismutase, catalase and malondialdehyde in the treated mice were determined. The FTIR technique was adopted to identify the functional groups of phytochemicals present, and the proximate constituents were also determined. The individual extracts of A. indica and A. boonei were not mutagenic while the recipe was not significantly mutagenic compared to the controls. Water  extract  of A. indica had the least clastogenic activity, while A. boonei extract was most cytotoxic towards  erythrocytes proliferation. Superoxide  dismutase and catalase activities of the extracts and recipe were dose-dependent; however, the recipe at 100.0% recorded best activity, with highest  amount of total  proteins. A. indica recorded highest suppression of generation of malondialdehyde molecules. The  phytochemicals in the  extracts and recipe contained hydroxyl and carbonyl functional groups, and their  proximate constituents were almost the same except for the  crude protein and fiber contents of the recipe.  Conclusively, extract of A. indica at the tested doses in this study was found to be less toxic to the  mitotic  cell division in the bone marrow, DNA and chromosomes in Swiss albino mice than the extract of A. boonei and recipe.

Background: Urinary schistosomiasisis a debilitating Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) spreads when infected people urinate close to a water source, contaminating it with the larvae of the parasite, it is associated with lack of access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities in rural and semi-urban settlements. This study was conducted to evaluate the availability of WASH facilities and its impact on the prevalence of schistosomia-sis among school-aged children in Ota-Efun (Semi-urban) and Ilie (Rural) communities of Olorunda LGA of Osun State, Nigeria between June and October, 2019 Methods: Two hundred and forty-three participants from the two communities provided urine samples which were examined for Schistosoma haematobium cyst using FLOTAC filtration device and microscopy. Using structured questionnaires, information on the demographic, hygienic practices, and availability of WASH facilities in participants homes was obtained Results: Results showed a cumulative urinary schistosomiasis prevalence of 46% (51/110) in Ilie (rural) compared to 0% (0/133) in Ota Efun (Urban) settlement. In Ilie community, highest prevalence (19.1%) was recorded among participants within the age group (11-13 years) and lowest (7.3%) among age class 14 and above. When compared with the prevalence results, majority (61%) of residents in Ilie lacked access to toilet facilities while 64% were regularly involved in water contact activities such as swimming, bathing and washing of clothes by the river. Conversely, in Ota-Efun, majority (87.2%) of participants had access to pipe-borne water with controlled access to the stream (4.5%) . Conclusion: The results of this study suggest ongoing transmission of schistosomiasis in Ilie community and that frequent water contact activities including swimming and bathing are risk factors for infection .We recommend that WASH facilities should be effectively integrated into ongoing health policy for the control of neglected tropical diseases in Osun State in order to ameliorate the devastating effects of schistosomiasis in the affect-ed communities