Physicochemical and bacteriological analyses were carried out on well water, stream water and river water used for drinking and swimming purposes in Abeokuta, Nigeria. The results obtained were compared with WHO and EPA standards for drinking and recreational water. With the exception of Sokori stream and a well water that did not comply with Turbidity and Mg 2+ standards respectively, all others were within the standards set for P H , Color, Total solids, Total dissolved solids, acidity, total hardness, Ca 2+ hardness, chloride and Iron.None of the samples complied with bacteriological standards as Total coliform counts generally exceeded 1,600 MPN/ml, and pathogen count such as Salmonella-Shigella counts and Vibrio cholerae counts were very high. The presence of pathogens in water for drinking and swimming purposes is of public health significance considering the possibility of the presence of other bacteria, protozoa and enteric viruses that are implicated in gastro-intestinal water borne diseases and the low infectious dose for these water borne pathogens.

Background:Neonatal sepsis is a significant cause of neonatal mortality in developing countries. The aetiological agents and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns are dynamic.Objectives: This study determined clinical features, aetiology, antimicrobial susceptibility and clinical outcome of neonatal sepsis in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital.Methods: Neonates undergoing sepsis evaluation at a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital were included in the study. Demographic and clinical information were obtained using standard questionnaires. Blood samples were cultured on MacConkey, Blood and Chocolate agar. Isolated bacteria were identified based on morphology, Gram stain appearance and standard commercially prepared biochemical tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on Mueller-Hinton agar using the Kirby-Bauer method.Results: Eighty-five of the 180 neonates admitted during the study period were recruited. Fifty-five neonates presented with early-onset sepsis and 30 with late-onset sepsis. Culture-proven sepsis was detected in 19 (22.4%) neonates. The incidence of culture-proven sepsis in the hospital was 2.8/100 live-births. The most common clinical feature at presentation was respiratory distress. Gram-negative bacteria accounted for 78.9 percent of all isolates and were the only organisms encountered in earlyonset sepsis. Isolated pathogens were predominantly Klebsiella spp (31.6%), Enterobacter spp (21.1%) and coagulase-negative Staphylococci (15.8%). The isolates were most sensitive to ofloxacin. Gram-negative bacteria showed high resistance to cefuroxime and ampicillin. The case-fatality rate was 26%.Conclusion: Gram-negative bacilli, especially Klebsiella spp, was predominant. Neonatal sepsis persists as a cause of mortality in this region. Regular antimicrobial surveillance for empirical treatment remains an important component of neonatal care.

Background: Aspergillosis has been identified as one of the hospital acquired infections but the contribution of water and inhouse air as possible sources of Aspergillus infection in immunocompromised individuals like HIV-TB patients have not been studied in any hospital setting in Nigeria. Objective: To identify and investigate genetic relationship between clinical and environmental Aspergillus sp. associated with HIV-TB co infected patients. Methods: DNA extraction, purification, amplification and sequencing of Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) genes were performed using standard protocols. Similarity search using BLAST on NCBI was used for species identification and MEGA 5.0 was used for phylogenetic analysis.

The use of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as biofertilizer is a relatively safer, environment friendly and cost effective. This work was designed to assess plant growth promoting abilities of rhizobacteria and evaluate their effect on germination and growth of maize. The bacteria were isolated and screened for plant growth promoting abilities using Pikovskaya agar, Aleksandrov agar and Jensen media. Twelve isolates that showed multiple attributes were further screened for indole acetic acid (IAA) and gibberellic acid (GA) production; best five isolates were selected for further studies. The results of IAA and GA production showed a considerable amount of IAA and GA produced by the isolates which ranged between 9–94 and 21–97 mg l–1, respectively. The selected isolates identified as Bacillusmojavensis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Alcaligenes faecalis, Pseudomonas syringae and Bacillus cereus showed a significant difference(P≤0.05) in the amount of potassium(K) and phosphorus(P) solubilized at different source of K (KCl and mica powder) and P (Ca2PO4 and rock phosphate). The isolates also recorded significant level of nitrogen fixing ability with Alcaligenes faecalis strain P156 fixing the highest amount of nitrogen (11.4 mg N fixed per l) and least by Bacillus mojavensis strain NBSL51 (6.3 mg N fixed per l).The results of plant inoculation test showed that Bacillus cereus strain 20UPMNR significantly enhanced the root and shoot dry weight. All the selected isolates enhanced shoot and root length except Bacillus mojavensis which produced less effect on root length when compared to the control. These results have provided vital information for the development of a bio fertilizer for maize.

Background: Cholera, a severe acute watery diarrhea caused by Vibrio cholerae is endemic in Nigeria with most cases occurring in the rural areas. In South West Nigeria, some individuals resort to alternative treatments such as Ogi-tutu, Psidium guajava and Vernonia amygdalina during infections. The effectiveness of these alternatives in the prevention and treatment of V. cholerae infection requires experimental investigation. Objective: This study was designed to investigate the ameliorative effects of Ogi-tutu, Vernonia amygdalina and Psidium guajava on intestinal histopathology of experimental mice infected with V. cholerae. Methods: Preliminary investigation of in vitro vibriocidal activities of these alternatives were carried out using agar cup diffusion assay. For ameliorative effects, adult mice were inoculated with 100 μl (106 cells) of Vibrio cholerae and dosed at 0 h (immediate prevention) and 4 h (treatment of infection) and their intestines were histopathologically evaluated. Results: The histopathological changes were the same irrespective of the treated groups, but the lesions varied in extent and severity. The ameliorative effects in decreasing order were V. amygdalina > P. guajava > Ogi-tutu. Conclusion: V. amygdalina gave the best ameliorative effects in the prevention and treatment of V. cholerae infection.