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Staphylococcus aureus is an Important agent of food poisoning. In many countries, it is the main bacterial organism responsible for diseases caused by exotoxin production and direct invasion with systemic dissemination. In poultry, S. aureus is associated with many clinical syndromes including tenosynovitis, omphalitis, femoral head necrosis, infected hock and stifle joints secondary to coccidiosis and "bumblefoot". A total of 100 tracheal swabs from 100 apparently healthy chickens from small holder flocks in Maiduguri, Nigeria were analysed for the presence of S. aureus. Isolates of coagulase positive S. aureus resistance to 10 antimicrobials was determined by disc diffusion method. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 83 (83.0%) and coagulase positive S. aureus from 54 (54%) of all samples. Isolates of coagulase positive S. aureus were completely (100%) susceptible to cephalexin, ciprofloxacin and gentamycin but showed varying degrees of resistance to ampicillin (100%), erythromycin (100%), ceftriazone (57.4%), ofloxacin (57.4%), clindamycin (51.9%), cotrimoxazole (50.0%) and augmentin (33.3%).

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Analyzing the microbial community structure and functions become imperative for ecological processes. To understand the impact of spent engine oil (SEO) contamination on microbial community structure of an agricultural soil, soil microcosms designated 1S (agricultural soil) and AB1 (agricultural soil polluted with SEO) were set up. Metagenomic DNA extracted from the soil microcosms and sequenced using Miseq Illumina sequencing were analyzed for their taxonomic and functional properties. Taxonomic profiling of the two microcosms by MG-RAST revealed the dominance of Actinobacteria (23.36%) and Proteobacteria (52.46%) phyla in 1S and AB1 with preponderance of Streptomyces (12.83%) and Gemmatimonas (10.20%) in 1S and Geodermatophilus (26.24%), Burkholderia (15.40%), and Pseudomonas (12.72%) in AB1, respectively. Our results showed that soil microbial diversity significantly decreased in AB1. Further assignment of the metagenomic reads to MG-RAST, Cluster of Orthologous Groups (COG) of proteins, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), GhostKOALA, and NCBI's CDD hits revealed diverse metabolic potentials of the autochthonous microbial community. It also revealed the adaptation of the community to various environmental stressors such as hydrocarbon hydrophobicity, heavy metal toxicity, oxidative stress, nutrient starvation, and C/N/P imbalance. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that investigates the effect of SEO perturbation on soil microbial communities through Illumina sequencing. The results indicated that SEO contamination significantly affects soil microbial community structure and functions leading to massive loss of nonhydrocarbon degrading indigenous microbiota and enrichment of hydrocarbonoclastic organisms such as members of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is hyperendemic in Nigeria. Available literature reveal genotype E as being predominant in West Africa. This study aimed at identifying the current pattern and prevalent genotypes of HBV in Zaria, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Four millilitre of blood was collected in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-container from each of 165 HBV surface antigen-positive participants recruited purposively from the gastroenterology clinic from May to August, 2017. Plasma was separated and frozen at −20°C till analysis. Multiplex-nested polymerase chain reaction using type-specific primers was used to identify the various HBV genotypes. Results: Median (and interquartile range ) age of the participants was 31.0 (25.5–39.0) years, with males constituting 107 (64.8%). Majority (83.6%) of the samples analysed were HBV-DNA-positive with 82.6% of the HBV-DNA-positive samples being mixed genotype infections. Irrespective of mode of occurrence, five HBV genotypes were identified with HBV/E (97.1%) being the most predominant, followed by HBV/B (82.6%), HBV/A (24.6%), then HBV/C (17.4%), while HBV/D (0.7%) was the least prevalent. Conclusion: In most (99.1%) of the mixed-infection were a combination of genotype E, the predominant genotype, with other genotypes predominantly genotype B. HBV genotypes E, B, A, C and D are the prevalent genotypes in Zaria, Nigeria, as they occur in single genotype and in mixed-genotypes pattern.

SummaryN-terminal (NT) pro-brain natriuretic peptide (proBNP) ‡160 ng/l has a 78% positive predictive value for pulmonary hypertension and is associated with increased mortality in US sickle cell disease patients, but the importance in sickle cell disease patients in Africa is not known. In a cross-sectional study at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, ShikaZaria, Nigeria, we studied 133 hydroxycarbamide-naïve Nigerian sickle cell anaemia patients aged 18-52 years at steady-state and 65 healthy controls. Twenty-six percent of patients versus 5% of controls had NT-proBNP ‡160 ng/l (P = 0AE0006). By logistic regression among the patients, human immunodeficiency virus seropositivity, higher serum ferritin and lower haemoglobin or higher lactate dehydrogenase independently predicted elevated NT-proBNP. After adjustment for haemoglobin concentration, elevated NT-proBNP concentration was associated with an estimated 7AE8-fold increase in the odds of severe functional impairment, defined as an inability to walk more than 300 m in 6 min (95% confidence interval 1AE5-32AE6; P = 0AE005). Similarly, elevated tricuspid regurgitation velocity was associated with an estimated 5AE6-fold increase in the odds of functional impairment (95% confidence interval 1AE5-21AE0; P = 0AE011). In conclusion, NT-proBNP elevation is common and is associated with markers of anaemia, inflammation and iron status and with severe functional impairment among sickle cell anaemia patients in Nigeria.

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CBPP is endemic to agro-pastoral areas, and it is doubtful if the current control strategies are making real impact in reducing production losses. Although eradication is more likely to be achieved through regional approaches, enhanced vaccination coverage supported with targeted surveillance and a trace back system based on cattle trade and movement records will sustain effective control of the disease in the Nigerian cattle population.