No abstract

Screenhouse experiments were conducted to test the efficacy of cowdung and urine separately and in combination in the control of root-knot nematode of tomato. Equal quantities of cowdung, urine and their mixture were separately made up to one litre with autoclaved soil. Two weeks old seedlings of tomato raised in autoclaved soil were transplanted into soil manure mixture and inoculated with 1,000 second stage larvae of Meloidogyne incognita race I. Treatments were completely randomized and effects assessed based on plant height, dry weight, extent of galling and the nematode multiplication factor. Results obtained showed that cowdung, urine, and their mixture produced significantly higher result than the untreated control. Similarly, the mixture of urine and cowdung, produced significantly higher results than the separate treatments.

Recent researches speak about the utilization of biological systems especially enterobacteria to synthesize nanoparticles is a novel approach. The present study demonstrates an eco-friendly and low cost protocol for synthesis of silver nano particles using the cell free filtrate of Lactobacillus bulgaricus when supplied with aqueous silver ions. Characterization of silver nanoparticles was done by UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy shows maximum absorption at 420 nm, Transmission electron microscope (TEM) revealed the formation of spherical nanoparticles with size ranging between 40-50nm, X-Ray diffraction (XRD) pattern shows spectrum, which reveals the FCC structure of silver nanoparticles. Energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS) analysis was done using SEM instrument equipped with thermo EDS attachment shows the optical absorption peak at 3kev. Microbial nanoparticles showed very strong inhibitory action against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus albus, & Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

was evaluated. Bacterial species were isolated by settling plate method, using Nutrient and MacConkey agar as the isolating medium. The isolates were fully characterized by standard methods. Isolated bacteria includes; Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus cereus, Streptococcus sp and Bacillus subtilis. The in house disinfectants (Povidone iodine and Izal) used in the operating theatres was obtained and evaluated using Agar ditch diffusion method. Povidone iodine obtained from the operating theatre showed no zones of inhibition in all the isolates tested, Izal solution obtained from the theatres showed appreciable zones of inhibition. Povidone iodine purchased from a pharmacy store in town however produced zones of inhibitions ranging from 7.75 mm to 18.00 mm. Killing rate for the most resistant isolates showed that B. megaterium, S. aureus and B. cereus required 25 to 30 minutes of exposure time for 8% Izal dilution to bring about the death of all resistant isolates. It was concluded that disinfection remain one of the most effective ways of reducing nosocomial pathogens in hospital environment as demonstrated in the results of this research work. However, from time to time potency of the in house used disinfectant must be evaluated in order to keep pace with degradation of disinfectant which normally occurs with time.

Infection with cytomegalo virus (CMV), especially in pregnancy may cause pregnancy complications such as congenital infection, non-hereditary deafness, intrauterine growth restriction and other high defects. This study was to evaluate the prevalence of CMV in pregnant women attending Antenatal Clinics at Maryam Abacha Women and Children Hospital (MAWCH) and Sokoto Specialist Hospital (SSH). The study enrolled 90 pregnant women (age range: 16-45 years old) and data on demographic and life styles obtained using structured questionnaire. Serum samples were assayed using CMV Ig-G EIA kit. Out of the 90 pregnant women examined, 88(97.8%) had IgG protective antibodies to CMV while 2(2.2%) did not have protective antibodies. The prevalence rate of 2.20% was obtained in pregnant women that did not have the protective CMV IgG antibodies and were in the age range of 16-30 years old. They were also found to be in their second trimester, which could have increased the risk of intrauterine transmission. The risk factors for CMV were observed to have been significantly (P > 0.05) correlated with the socioeconomic status, the levels of CMV Ig-G antibodies, stage of pregnancy as well as the symptoms of pregnancy complications observed in the study population while they were insignificant (P < 0.05) in the case of number of previous pregnancies. The outcome of effects on the fetus was usually fatal and irreversible. Therefore, all pregnant women should scrupulously consistently adhere to routine infection control precautions.