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.

A study was conducted to assess the microbial safety of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods sold in private and public primary schools in Abeokuta, South-western Nigeria. One hundred and sixty RTE food samples were collected from forty food vendors in thirty primary schools and analysed microbiologically. Socio-economic status and their knowledge of food safety were assessed using the structured questionnaires. Total bacterial counts, total coliform counts and total fungal counts of RTE foods in public primary schools ranged from 6.27 log10cfu/g to 6.47 log10cfu/g, 6.00 log10cfu/g to 6.28 log10cfu/g and 5.85 log10cfu/g to 6.16 log10cfu/g respectively while those of private primary schools ranged from 6.30 log10cfu/g to 7.47 log10cfu/g, 6.15 log10cfu/g to 6.54 log10cfu/g and 5.60 log10cfu/g to 6.70 log10cfu/g respectively. Bacteria isolated from these samples were Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus spp, Enterobacter aerogenes, Shigella dysenteriae and Escherichia coli while the fungal isolates includeAspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Rhizopus spp, Penicillium  viridicatum, Mucor spp and Fusarium spp. RTE foods sold in both private and public primary schools were found to be highly contaminated. Inappropriate storage conditions, inadequate knowledge of food safety, attitudes and practices of the food vendors are the factors that may allow the food contamination. These findings demonstrate that ready-to-eat foods vended in public and private primary schools in Abeokuta, South-western Nigeria constitute an hazard to the pupils’ health. Provision of health education to the vendors and enforcing implementation of appropriate hygienic practices would improve food quality.Keywords · Ready-to-eat foods · Microbial safety · Primary schools

Aim This study aimed to investigate the isolation rate, antibiotic resistance and virulence genes of Salmonella enterica serovar from two commercial farms in Nigeria. Methods and Results Salmonella isolation was performed according to the United States Food and Drug Agency (USFDA) method. Serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, detection of resistance and virulence genes were done using the Kauffman–White Scheme, disc diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration and real‐time polymerase chain reaction techniques. Salmonella serovars were isolated from only farm A at 22/50 (44.0%) while none were isolated from farm B. Salmonella Typhi, 9 (40.9%); Salmonella Typhimurium, 2 (9.1%), Salmonella Enteritidis, 2 (9.1%), Salmonella Pullorum, 1 (4.5%), Salmonella Kentucky, 4 (18.2%) were identified while 4 (18.2%) were untypable. Sixteen isolates (72.7%) showed multiple drug resistance and 17 different resistance profile types with AMP‐CHL‐TRM‐SXT as the most prevalent pattern. Resistance genes (blaTEM, 12/22 (54.5%) and virulence genes (InvA, sopB, mgtC and spi4D, 22/22 (100.0%), ssaQ, 16/22 (72.7%) and spvC, 13/22 (59.1%) were found, while blaSHV, blaCTX‐M, floR, tetA, tetB, tetG and LJSGI‐1 genes were absent. Conclusion Pathogenic Salmonella were isolated from the chicken droppings in this study. Most of these strains were resistant to antibiotics and possessed characteristics of virulence. Significance and Impact of the Study Chicken droppings from this study area contained pathogenic strains of Salmonella and a rare occurrence of Salmonella Typhi. The study revealed that the environment and the food chain could be at risk of contamination of highly virulent and antimicrobial‐resistant strains of Salmonella. These could affect the profitability of the poultry industry and food consumption. There is a need for caution in indiscriminate disposal of poultry waste and the use of uncomposted chicken droppings in soil amendment.

Physical and chemical methods of remediating contaminated soils are less environment-friendly compared to the biodegradation method. This study investigated the ability of selected organic wastes to enhance biodegradation of Spent Engine Oil (SEO) contaminated soil. One kilogram of uncontaminated soil was thoroughly mixed with 10% (w/v) SEO in seven treatments with two replicates. Spent Fruit Residues (SFR), Cassava Peel (CP) and a combination of Bean Husk and Chromolaena odorata(BHC) were added at 10% and20% (w/w), with an untreated control. Total Heterotrophic Bacterial Count (THBC), Total Fungal Count (TFC), Total Hydro-carbon Degrading Bacterial Count (THDBC) and Total Hydrocarbon Degrading Fungal Count (THDFC) of the contaminated and uncontaminated soils were determined using standard micro-biological methods. Isolates were screened for SEO utilization using 2,6-dichlorophenol indo-phenol indicator. Hydrocarbon contents of the soils were determined using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis. The THBC ranged from 1.3x106to 2.9x106CFU g-1, TFC ranged from 5.4x104to 2.0x105CFUg-1, THDBC ranged from 0.5x103to 1.9x104CFUg-1while THDFC ranged from 2.0x103to 1.0x104CFUg-1. The isolated bacteria were Pseudomonas spp., Bacillus spp., Klebsiella spp., Proteus mirabilis, Burkholderia cepacia, Micrococcus luteus, Providencia rettgeri, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus bovisand Enterobacter cloacaewhile the isolated fungi were Candida spp., Aspergillus niger, Saccharomyces cerevisae, Penicillium chrysogenumand Trichophyton sp. Pseudomonas aeruginosaand Aspergillus nigerutilized the oil better than other isolates with absorbance of 0.26 and 0.49 at 600 nm, respectively. The GC-MS revealed that SFR 20% (w/w) treatment had the highest percentage degradation of 70.5%. This study confirms that spent fruit residues can enhance biodegradation of spent engine oil contaminated soil.

Global increase in the level of antimicrobial resistance among bacterial pathogens has prompted the search for alternative treatment from medicinal plants. Phyllantus muellerianus leaves has been used traditionally against microorganisms of medical importance, hence the need to evaluate the pharmacological pathways and mode of actions using in vitro and in silico approaches. Clinical isolates of eight ( 8) microorganisms associated with urinary tract infections were obtained and identified using morphological and biochemical methods. Phyllantus muellerianus leaves were extracted and purified by solvent partitioning. Ethyl acetate fraction of PM had the highest yield and zone diameter range from 13.5 ± 1.00 to 28 ± 1.53 mm. The rate of protein leakage per time interval of Staphylococcus aureus increased from 9.29 μg/ml at 0 min to 17.43 μg/ml at 120 min while leakage in Candida albicans also increased from 8.57 μg/ml at 0 min to 70.43 μg/ml at 120 min. GCMS fingerprints, pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic studies revealed the active agent as quindoline, an azaindole and isotere of indoles having a binding energy of −9.1 kcal/mol. Analyses of the structural and atomic orientations of quindoline, and superimposition on ciprofloxacin, a common antibiotic revealed an interesting comparison, effecting a stronger binding affinity of Quindoline-HMG-CoA complex.