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Methanolic and aqueous leaf extracts of Chrysophyllum albidum (African star apple) and Garcinia kola (bitter kola) were studied for in-vitro microbial activity using the disc diffusion technique. The aqueous and methanolic leaf extracts of Chrysophyllum albidum showed antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans but showed no antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumonia. The methanolic leaf extract of Garcinia kola inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumonia while the aqueous extract of the leaf inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Both methanolic and aqueous leaf extracts of the plant showed no antifungal activity against Candida albicans. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of the leaf extracts of Chrysophyllum albidum ranged from 12.5 mgL-1 to 25 mgL-1 while those of Garcinia kola ranged from 25 mgL-1 to 50 mgL-1. The results obtained suggest that the leaves of these plants can be used in treating diseases caused by the test organisms. The further investigation on the crude extracts would characterize bioactive components of the leaves of Chrysophyllum albidum and Garcinia kola.

The proliferation of boreholes dug by individuals, public and private entities in a bid to overcome the problem of water shortage has caused various communities in Owerri West, southeastern Nigeria to depend on borehole water as readily available water for drinking and domestic purposes. Unfortunately, the water is not treated before it is used for drinking and there is no surveillance of bacteria in the water to ascertain its safety. In consideration of this fact, a study was conducted to assess the bacteriological quality of borehole water in some communities in the area. Borehole water samples were aseptically collected from four communities. The bacteriological assessment was carried out using standard microbiological methods involving determination of total coliform count, total faecal coliform count and total heterotrophic bacterial count. The total coliform counts of the water samples ranged from 1.3x102 to 1.3x104 CFUmL-1 while the total faecal coliform and total heterotrophic bacterial counts ranged from 1.3x102 to 5.8x104 CFUmL-1 and 1.1x102 to 8.7x104 CFUmL-1 respectively. The organisms isolated from the borehole water samples included Shigella sp, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus sp, Klebsiella sp and Escherichia coli. The total bacteria counts exceed the limit set by the World Health Organization for drinking and domestic purposes. Moreover, the pathogenic organisms isolated from the water samples could cause serious health problems in humans. Hence, the borehole water should be treated properly before use and other preventive approaches should be adopted to minimize possible health risks associated with the use of the borehole water.