Sweet oranges are prone to spoilage by filamentous fungi as a result of their high levels of sugars and low P H values. These fungi are known to produce toxins which are deleterious to human health. This study was therefore conducted to isolate, characterize and identify the filamentous fungi associated with the spoilage of sweet oranges sold in major Awka Markets, Nigeria. Thirty sweet orange fruits purchased from Eke-Awka, Temporary Site, Nodu, Ifite and Amaenyi Markets were used for the study. The average filamentous fungal count of the spoilt sweet orange fruits was 2.0 x10 3 cfu/ml, 1.3 x 10 3 cfu/ml, 2.1 x 10 3 cfu/ml, 1.6x 10 3 cfu/ml and 1.8 x 10 3 cfu/ml for the samples from Eke-Awka, Temporary Site, Nodu, Ifite and Amaenyi Markets respectively. The fungi were identified as Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolonifer, Mucor mucedo, Penicillium digitatum, Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus flavus. The percentage distribution of the fungi was 27.5%, 22.5%, 15.0%, 10.0%, 7.5 and 17.5% for Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolonifer, Mucor mucedo, Penicillium digitatum, Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus flavus respectively. Aspergillus niger caused the highest degree of spoilage. Good agricultural practices, adequate storage facilities and good handling practices must be put in place to reduce the incidence of these fungi in sweet oranges thereby minimizing their spoilage.

Vaginitis is the fungal infection of the vulva and or vagina caused mostly by Candida albicans. Itching, abortion, irritation of the vulva and vagina and white discharges from the vagina are the common symptoms. Thirty vaginitis symptomatic pregnant women attending antenatal clinic of Anambra State University Teaching Hospital Awka, Nigeria were sampled. They were aged between twenty and forty-five years. The Candida species were isolated, characterized and identified by standard biochemical and microbiological methods. The women aged 26-30 years had the highest percentage distribution of Candida species (63.3%) while those in their third trimester of pregnancy were mostly infected, with a percentage distribution of 63.3%. The vaginal candida species isolated from the women were Candida albicans (66.7%), Candida grabrata (23.3%), Candida tropicalis (6.7%) and Candida krusei (3.3%). Candida albicans occurred in all the age groups and trimesters of pregnancy. The pregnant women at great risk of vaginitis are those aged between 26 and 30 years as well as those in their third trimester of pregnancy. This calls for commitment to routine medical examination and appropriate treatment of the infected pregnant women.

Onion bulbs rots are caused by microorganisms especially fungi leading to economic loss. These fungi have been known to produce toxins which are injurious to human and animal health, therefore in this study, the fungi associated with the spoilage of onions bulbs purchased from Umuike, Amaikwo, Amaudo, Okpuno and Permanent site markets were isolated, characterized and identified. The average fungal counts ranged between 1.2 x 10 3 CfU/ml and 2.0 x 10 3 CfU/ml. The fungi isolated from the spoilt onion bulbs were Penicillum digitatum, Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizopus stolonifer, Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus niger and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The samples from Amaudo market had the highest percentage distribution of fungi of 34.2% while those from permanent site had the least percentage distribution of 8.6%. Aspergillus niger had the highest percentage distribution of 34.29% in the spoilt onion bulbs while Saccharomyces cerevisiae had the least percentage distribution of 5.71%. Aspergillus niger also had the highest rot diameter of 40mm while Saccharomyces cerevisiae had the least rot diameter of 16mm. Adequate mycological knowledge, storage facilities and handling practices would therefore minimize the deterioration of onion bulbs thereby ensuring its availability to the society all year round.

Introduction: Snuff is one of the many products of tobacco. It is prepared by certain processes that involve fermentation and aging. Microorganisms have been found to play important roles in these processes of snuff production. Snuff has been recommended by physicians as a better substitute for cigarettes. Methods:The microbial contamination of locally-prepared snuff sold in Eke-Awka Market, Anambra State was studied with a view to determining their suitability for use. The bacteria were isolated using nutrient agar, cetrimide agar and mannitol salt agar as the growth media while potato dextrose agar was the growth medium for the isolation of the fungi. Results: The bacterial counts ranged between 3.0 × 10 2 cfu/g and 6.7 × 10 2 cfu/g while the fungal counts were between 1.0 × 10 2 cfu/g and 4.6 × 10 2 cfu/g. The bacteria were identified as Corynebacterium bovis, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa while the fungi were Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolonifer, Alternaria alternata, Geotrichum candidum, Penicillium italicum and Aspergillus flavus. Staphylococcus aureus occurred most frequently (28.57%) among the bacteria in the samples while Aspergillus niger had the highest frequency of occurrence (25.00%) among the fungal isolates. Conclusions: These microorganisms which may have entered the snuff from the air, soil, dust, storage containers and human handlers are known to cause diseases of man. Snuff should therefore be processed, packaged and handled hygienically to avoid its contamination with these organisms and the health risk they pose to the users.

The biodeterioration potentials of microorganisms isolated from pig manure was studied using standard methods. The heterotrophic microorganisms isolated from the manure were Escherichia coli, Micrococcus luteus, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, Shigella flexneri, Serratia marcescens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium resinae, Penicillium expansum, Trichoderma herbarum and Candida tropicalis while all the organisms except Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were the hydrocarbon-utilizing isolates. The most active degraders were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Micrococcus luteus, Aspergillus niger, Cladosporium resinae and the bacterial and fungal consortia that produced the highest turbidity and clarity indicating hydrocarbon utilization. The growth profile of Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aspergillus niger and Cladosporium resinae as well as the fungal and bacterial consortia during 35 days of growth in mineral salts-oil medium showed that there was a decrease in the pH and an increase in the viable count of the medium. The highest percentage degradation of the crude oil was by the bacterial consortium (62.0%). This work showed that Pig manure which is generally regarded as a waste product harbours diverse bacteria and fungi which will be useful in remediating oil-polluted environments when applied singly and as a consortia.