The extensive use of pesticides is one of the major causes of pollution of soil and water environments. The current method for removing such contaminants from the environment through biodegradation has been shown to be more effective than any other method. Three pesticide degrading bacteria were isolated and identified through cultural and biochemical tests as strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serretia marcescens and Klebsiella oxytoca. Their growth in mineral salt medium supplemented with 20mg/l of Chlorpyrifos was monitored at optical density of 600nm. The result showed that Pseudomonas aeruginosa had maximum growth in ten days, while Serretia marcescens and Klebsiella oxytoca recorded highest growth after six days of incubation. HPLC analysis of the residual Chlorpyrifos after 14 days incubation showed that Pseudomonas aeruginosa was able to degrade 60% of the pesticide; Klebsiella oxytoca degraded 54%, while Serretia marcescens had 53% reduction of the pesticide concentration in the mineral salt medium. The results of this research indicated that the isolated bacteria can be used for bioremediation of Chlorpyrifos contaminated soil and water ecosystems.

Halotolerant bacteria are microorganisms that can grow over a large variety of salt concentrations but thrive better in low salinities. This group of bacteria is known to be diverse in nature and can be isolated from the soil, water, and even some rocks. Their compatible solutes serve as survival mechanism when the organisms are exposed to high salinities. Halotolerant bacteria have been applied in the production of antimicrobial substances, in food biotechnology, in biological waste treatment, and in the use of Biosurfactants for bioremediation purposes. Halotolerant bacteria are made up of both Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria in different genera like Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Bacillus, and Pseudomonas. This research emphasized on the isolation of halotolerant bacteria from Ezzu River, Amansea, Awka, Anambra state using nutrient medium supplemented with different salt (sodium chloride) concentrations and Marine Agar. Pour plate method was used for the isolation of the bacterial strains. The isolates which were yellow and creamy white in color were labeled A, B, and C and their morphological characteristics, noted. They were further Gram stained. The three isolates were Gram-positive cocci and appeared in clusters. They were non-motile. Further characterization was done using biochemical test: catalase test, coagulase test, citrate, and urease and carbohydrate fermentation of different sugars. After the analyses carried out on the three isolates, the halotolerant bacteria suspected to be present in Ezzu River, Anambra state were Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus lentus, and Micrococcus luteus.

In-vitro assessment of the antibacterial quality of four commonly used brands of herbal toothpastes in comparison with their corresponding non-herbal toothpastes on Streptococcus mutans was examined. Eight brands of commercially available toothpastes comprising of four herbal and non-herbal brands respectively were purchased in a local market in Awka South, Anambra State, Nigeria. The herbal brands selected were designated AH, BH, CH and DH and their respective non-herbal brands designated ANH, BNH, CNH and DNH served as positive controls. The use of distilled water served as negative control. The antibacterial activity evaluation was performed using agar well diffusion method. Different concentrations of toothpastes were made by 2-fold serial dilution method using sterile distilled water as diluents. Inhibition zones were measured in millimeters after 24hrs. Among the non-herbal toothpastes, triclosan containing toothpaste gave the highest zone of inhibition compared to non-triclosan toothpastes. The herbal toothpaste of each brand gave better inhibition result in comparison with their corresponding non-herbal brands. BH toothpaste gave maximum inhibition followed by AH, CH and lastly DH toothpastes. The result of this study indicates that herbal toothpastes are marginally better in inhibiting the growth of Streptococcus mutans; although both herbal and non-herbal toothpastes were equally effective in reducing pathogenic plaque and maintaining oral hygiene.