These data demonstrate high rates of colonization and transmission in a population that does not use antibiotics to prevent neonatal infections, a strategy that should be considered in the future.

BackgroundGroup B Streptococcus (GBS) causes invasive infections in neonates and has been implicated as a cause of prelabour rupture of membranes, preterm delivery and stillbirths. The success of phase II trials of polyvalent polysaccharide GBS vaccines indicates that these infections are potentially preventable. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with one of the highest birth rates, one of the highest neonatal sepsis incidence rates and one of the highest mortality rates in the world. Therefore, before the possible introduction of preventive strategies such as intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis or GBS vaccine into Nigeria, it is vital that there is accurate data on the aetiology of neonatal sepsis and on the incidence of GBS neonatal sepsis in particular. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence and aetiology of neonatal sepsis in Nigeria with a focus on GBS sepsis and also to assess the potential impact of a GBS vaccine.MethodsA literature search was conducted on the databases of African journals online, PubMed and Google Scholar for works conducted between 1987 to 2017. Case reports, reviews, and studies not stating specific culture methods or specific bacteria isolated were excluded. Data extracted included; incidence of neonatal sepsis, method of blood culture, blood volume, sample size, bacterial agents isolated and history of antibiotic use. PRISMA guidelines were followed and modified Down’s and Black criteria used to evaluate the quality of studies.ResultsA total of 5,114 studies were reviewed for neonatal sepsis out of which 24 consisting of a total of 2,280 cases were selected for final review. Nine studies met criteria for assessment of hospital based incidence of neonatal sepsis representing 31,305 hospital births. The incidence of neonatal sepsis was 18.2/1000 livebirths with range from 7-55/1000 livebirths while the GBS incidence was 0.06/1000 livebirths with range from 0-2/1000 live births. We discovered various limitations such as identification techniques that could result in underestimation of the true incidence of GBS sepsis. Pathogens such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus were more commonly isolated than GBS.Implications of key findingsThe hospital based incidence of neonatal sepsis was high at 18.2/1000 live births while that due to GBS was 0.06/1000 live births. The burden of neonatal sepsis, including that attributable to GBS is substantial and could be reduced by preventive strategies such as intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis or GBS vaccine. There is however very sparse meaningful data currently. Well planned prospective studies with larger sample sizes, more advanced isolation and identification techniques and those following up invasive disease cases for possible short and long term sequelae are needed—not only prior to possible introduction of the vaccine to determine the baseline epidemiology, but also thereafter to monitor its impact on the population. Strategies need to be developed to also reduce the morbidity and mortality attributa...

Background: Wound Infections cause prolonged hospital stay, increased costs and also can result in increased patient morbidity and mortality. The current spread of multi-drug resistant bacteria has further heightened the need for regular bacteriological review of infected woundsand regular antibiotics surveillance studies so as to avoid the unguidedempirical treatment of wound infections which is quite common in this environment Aim: To determine the distributionof theisolates from wound specimens submitted to the medical microbiology laboratory of National Hospital Abuja for processing. Method: A reviewand analysis of 380 woundspecimens results from various wards in the hospital over a period of 10 months (1 st Marto Dec 31 st 2010) was conducted. Result: A total of 314 isolates were recovered from the 380 wound specimens giving a yield of 83%. 240(76%) yielded single isolates of various pathogens, while 74(24%) were poly-microbial. Gram negative bacilli constituted 66% of all the pathogens with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (19%) and Proteus species (18%) as the most frequent, while gram positive isolates made up 33% with S aureus (27%) as most predominant and most frequently isolated bacteria from all the wound specimens. Two candida species comprised about 1% of the isolates. Frequency of infection was highest in surgical wards (27%), gynaecology ward (14%) and accident and emergency unit (12%). The fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, and Beta-lactam antibiotics were the most effective drugs for most of the isolates. Staphylococcus aureus was most sensitive to amikacin (83%) and erythromycin (79%); Pseudomonas aeruginosa to imipenem (96%) and amikacin (83%) and Proteus species to amikacin (100%) and imipenem (78%). Conclusion: S aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus species were the predominant bacteria from wounds, with surgery and gynaecology wards having the highest prevalence. Resistance to commonly used antibiotics is high. There is need to institute antibiotic stewardship and effective and efficient infection control measures in the hospital

Background Acne vulgaris is a skin disorder that affects males and females with significant impact on quality of life. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a series of non-pharmaceutical interventions globally to reduce the spread of the virus particularly since there have been no known cures or definitive treatment for the disease. One key non-pharmaceutical intervention was recommendation on wearing of face masks. There are reports of discomfort associated with wearing face mask including complaints of various skin rashes, acne and headaches which could hinder appropriate use of face masks. While the dermatological problems associated with face mask use have been comprehensively explored in high income countries, the data is sparse in sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to determine the association between face mask use and development of acne vulgaris in our developing country setting. We subsequently determined risk factors for development of acne vulgaris such as duration of wearing face masks, type of face mask, and prior dermatological skin condition history. We aimed to also determine the potential of acne development secondary to face mask use to reducing predisposition to wearing face masks. Methods This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted in within two local government areas of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Trained interviewers administered pre-tested questionnaires to 1316 consecutive consenting adult participants randomly approached for informed consent at various public locations. Information was inputted into MS Excel and analyzed using Epi-info. Results A total number of 1316 persons participated in this study with mean age 34.4 ±12.3 years and median age 35.5years. Male: female ratio was 1:1.41. New onset acne or worsening of acne following consistent wearing of face masks was reported by 323 (24.5%) of the 1316 participants in this study. The surgical face mask was the least likely to predispose to acne p<0.05. Compared with the surgical mask, persons using N95 face mask and cloth mask were 1.89 and 1.41 times more likely to have acne respectively. Persons with prior history of acne were more likely to develop new acne or experience worsening of acne following wearing of face mask OR 3.89, 95% CI 2.85, 5.33; p <0.05). The length of time of daily mask wearing was not significantly associated with occurrence of new onset acne or worsening of acne. Persons reporting prior histories of allergy were more likely to develop acne in this study (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.50, 2.88; p<0.05). In this study, 192 (59.4%) of those who reported having acne following face masks use responded they have a negative predisposition to wearing masks. Conclusion Our finding of greater predisposition to development or worsening of acne following consistent use of face masks could have implications for the control strategy of COVID-19. The finding that the N95 face mask was more significantly associated with acne is of concern as this is the preferred face mask in healthcare settings. It is important for the medical community to investigate feasible and safe recommendations to help alleviate this condition.

Developing countries suffer from a huge burden of neonatal sepsis. Neonatal mortality and long term sequelae or morbidity portends huge costs for the poor Nigerian economy. We identified trends in bacterial agents implicated in neonatal sepsis and their antibiotic susceptibility profiles at the National Hospital Abuja over two periods of three years each a decade apart. A retrospective study of bacterial agents of sepsis from 2013-2015 was carried out and this was compared to an already published study from the same hospital ten years earlier (2002)(2003)(2004) to determine changing trends using standard statistical methods.We identified a significant shift to predominance of gram positive organisms especially Staphylococcus aureus (59% vs 40%) as against the predominance of gram negative organisms especially Klebsiella pneumoniae (11% vs 44%) in the previous decade. Almost all antibiotics tested (92%) had reduced susceptibility in the later review compared to the former.Surveillance of bacterial agents of neonatal sepsis is vital for the detection of trends in causative organisms and their susceptibilities. This is important to direct empiric therapy and also to encourage implementation and monitoring of antibiotic stewardship programs. Nous avons identifié un changement significatif vers la prédominance des organismes gram négative, en particulier le Staphylococcus aureus (59% vs 40%) au contraire de la prédominance des organismes gram -négatifs, en particulier la Klebsiella pneumoniae (11% vs 44%)au cours de la décennieprécédente. LES TENDANCES DES PROFILS DE BACTERIES CASANT LA SEPTICEMIE NEONATALE DANS L'HOPITAL AU CENTRELa surveillance des agents bactériens du sepsisnéonatal est vitale pour la direction des tendances des organismes causatif set de leurs susceptibilités. Il est important de diriger la thérapie empirique et d'encourager la mise en oeuvre et la surveillance des programmes d'intendance des antibiotiques.