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Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), is an important global infection with a worldwide prevalence of about 40 percent. This infection is contagious and mostly acquired during childhood through the fecal-oral and oral-oral route. A total of 1560 blood specimens were aseptically collected from Internally Displaced Persons comprising female and male from the warring communities of Bakassi Peninsular and Etim Ekpo Local Government Area in South Southern, Nigeria. The specimens were screened for H. pylori using Elisa kits following standard serological techniques. The overall prevalence rate was 464 (29.7%). There was significant difference (p < 0.05) in the inter-community endemicity of H. pylori infection; its distribution varied between age group, educational status, habits or behaviors of the subjects with children within 5 to 14 years having the highest rate of 274 (17.6%), followed by 78 (4.99%) from adults (51 years and above) and 17 (1.08%) from active age range of 36-45 years old. Subjects with primary and quranic level of education showed a total of 274 (17.56%) positive cases to H. pylori. Analysis of sex-specific distribution revealed that females had the highest prevalence of 312 (20%). The helicobacter infection shows a significant difference at (p < 0.05) among the occupational groups of the subject. The study of habits such as smoking and snuffing consumption have been linked as risk factors with a prevalence rate of 11%, 12.4% respectively, while regular alcoholic drink was indicted as enhancing factor for H. pylori infection. Crowding in camps and increasing household contact have been considered as risk factors of H. pylori infection. Adequate infrastructural provision and availability of portable water with good hygienic environment will drastically reduce the high rate spread of H. pylori bacterium in the IDPs communities in Nigeria.

Aims: This study was aimed at determining the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of bacteria isolated from sachet water sold in Uyo metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Study Design:  Sachet water was randomly sampled in Uyo Metropolis. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Microbiology, Akwa Ibom State University, Nigeria, between June and November 2018. Methodology: Six different brands of sachets water sold and consumed in Uyo metropolis were studied for their physical and microbiological qualities. Thirty (30) sachets water from the six (6) different brands respectively, were serially diluted and cultured on Nutrient agar, Eosin Methylene Blue agar, MacConkey agar and Salmonella-Shigella agar, while Muller Hinton agar was used for sensitivity test. Suspensions of purified isolates were standardized with 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard and were subjected to antibiotics susceptibility testing using Agar Diffusion method. Results: The bacterial counts obtained ranged from 2.0 x 101 cfu/ml to 1.34 x 102 cfu/ml. Species isolated from the samples analysed included: Klebsiella sp., Escherichia sp., Staphylococcus sp., Salmonella sp., Pseudomonas sp., Citrobacter sp., Bacillus sp. Bacillus sp. Was susceptible to all the antibiotics tested against it except streptomycin while Staphylococcus sp was resistant to gentamicine and ampiclox but susceptible to other antibiotics. All the gram negative isolates were susceptible to tarivia and peflacine but completely resistant to nalidixic acid. Klebsiella sp. was most resistant (70%) of all the isolates, these was closely followed bt Escherichia sp. and Salmonella sp. at 60% resistance. Some of the sachet water brands from bacteriological standpoints did not meet the World Health Organization Standard for portable water. Conclusion: This study indicted sub-standard packaged waters as a vehicle for the spread of antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens, and this poses a high risk to public health. Hence, routine monitoring of producers of sachet water should been enforced.

Brucellosis is a re-emerging zoonotic disease that causes more than half a million infections to humans every year. The disease is common in most developing countries, the human mortality rate is about 2%, and the disease causes severe rheumatism, infertility in males, spontaneous abortion and also results in wastage of resources through prolonged treatment. Brucella organisms are also potential biological weapon which could be cheaper to produce but more devastating than chemical weapons. About 5 mililitres of blood was drawn from 228 subjects using sterile vacutainers and analyzed by using standard tube agglutination tests: (SAT 3 160) and ELISA (IgG, IgM) kits specific for Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis antibodies. Semi structured questionnaire was administered to collect data. In the study, overall sero-prevalence was 70 (30.8%). More male participated in the study with a frequency of 24.6% of whom 7.92% falls within the age group of 20 to 30, followed by 31 -35 years with 5.72% and 3.52% within 36 -45 years. Least affected were those in the age groups above 46 years (2.20%). Approximately, 21.54% of the subjects had formal education either at Quranic, primary and secondary or tertiary level. Majority acquired Quranic education (9.68%), 7.48% primary and 0.88% had tertiary training. A total of 21 (9.24%) never acquired any form of education. Headache, muscle aches, malaise, chills and fatigue were the most common clinical signs and symptoms experienced by about 30% among the participants. In the distribution of Brucella antibodies, ELISA diagnostic kits showed high sensitivity with the prevalence rate of 18.04% (n = 41) followed by SAT 12.76% (n = 29). The sensitivity and specificity of RDPT kits were 37 % and 69%, with a positive and negative predictive value of 18% and 86% respectively. Unprocessed milk from the market and consumption of unboiled milk were associated with brucellosis. There-How to cite this paper: Owowo, fore, patients with brucellosis should be treated to prevent the devastating effect of the disease and the accompanying sequelae, public health education programs should explain modes of transmission and Brucella febrile diagnostic kit should be used at the health facilities.

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