Objective Comparison was done between high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection and quantification of aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) in feed samples. The two procedures were standardized and validated before the actual experiment. Five concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20 and 30 ppb) of feed samples were used for both methods. For the HPLC technique, the samples were extracted in acetonitrile/water (90/10) solution, cleaned-up using solid phase extraction (SPE) column, and derivatized by water/trifluoroacetic acid/glacial acetic acid (35/10/5) solution before instrument analysis. The samples were extracted in 70% methanol for the ELISA technique. Results The two tests showed very strong linearity with correlation coefficient value of > 0.99 using standard solutions. The mean recovery rate was 92.42% (with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 5.97) and 75.64% (RSD = 34.88) for HPLC and ELISA, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in recovery rate between the two methods. There was a positive correlation (r = 0.84) between them which indicated that the two techniques can be used to detect and quantify aflatoxin B 1 in feed samples. However, there were variations among replicates for the ELISA method, which shows that this method is more applicable for screening purposes.

Background Diarrhoea is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world particularly in developing countries and among vulnerable groups of the population. Gram-negative enteric bacterial pathogens (GNEBPs) are a group of organisms that reside mainly in the intestine and induce diarrhoea. Antimicrobial agents are usually the part of their treatment regimen. The therapeutic effect of antimicrobials is hindered by the emergence and spread of drug-resistant strains. The information regarding the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance patterns of GNEBPs in Ethiopia is limited and found in a scattered form. Objectives This study was designed to determine the pooled prevalence and drug resistance patterns of GNEBPs by meta-analysis of data from diarrhoeic patients in Ethiopia. Method A comprehensive literature search was conducted through internet searches using Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, HINARI databases, and reference lists of previous studies. Published articles were included in the study based on priorly set inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results were presented in the forest plot, tables, and figures with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The inconsistency index (I2) test statistics was used to assess heterogeneity across studies. The pooled prevalence estimate of GNEBPs and their drug resistance patterns were computed by a random-effects model. Software for Statistics and Data Science (STATA) version 14 statistical software was used for the analysis. Result After removing those articles which did not fulfil the inclusion criteria, 43 studies were included in the analysis. Studies were conducted in 8 regions of the country and most of the published articles were from the Amhara region (30.23%) followed by Oromia (18.60%) and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ region (SNNP) (18.60%). The pooled prevalence of GNEBPs was 15.81% (CI = 13.33–18.29). The funnel plot indicated the presence of publication bias. The pooled prevalence of GNEBPs in Addis Ababa, Amhara, SNNP, and Oromia regions were 20.08, 16.67, 12.12, and 11.61%, respectively. The pooled prevalence was 14.91, 18.03, and 13.46% among studies conducted from 2006–2010, 2011–2015, and 2016–2021, respectively and it was the highest (20.35%) in children having age less than or equal to 15 years. The pooled prevalence of Escherichia coli, Campylobacter spp., Shigella spp., and Salmonella enterica were 19.79, 10.76, 6.24, and 5.06%, respectively. Large proportions (60–90%) of the isolates were resistant to ampicillin, amoxicillin, tetracycline, and trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole. The pooled prevalence of multidrug resistance (MDR) was 70.56% (CI = 64.56–76.77%) and MDR in Campylobacter spp., Shigella spp., E. coli, and S. enterica. were 80.78, 79.08, 78.20, and 59.46%, respectively. Conclusion The pooled estimate showed a high burden of GNEBPs infections and a high proportion of drug resistance characters to commonly used antimicrobial agents in Ethiopia. Therefore, performing drug susceptibility tests, establishing an antimicrobial surveillance system and confirmation by molecular techniques are needed.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) or kala-azar is a tropical disease, which is caused by an obligate intracellular parasite of the genus Leishmania. It is transmitted by the bite of an infected phlebotomine sand fly. The disease is endemic in northwest part of Ethiopia particularly in areas bordering Sudan. Assessing the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of the community is helpful to design and implement appropriate control and prevention strategies. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the KAP of the resident community on VL in West Armachiho district, northwest Ethiopia. Data were collected by using pretested and well-structured questionnaire. Two villages (Abderafi and Abrehajira) were selected randomly. Households engaged in the study were selected by systematic random sampling method and then finally, simple random sampling was used to engage a maximum of two individuals per household. A total of 422 participants were engaged in the study. Almost all participants heard about VL. The source of information was mainly from friends (80.8%). The highest proportion (88.2%) of participants thought that persistent enlargement of liver and spleen (enlargement of the abdomen) was the main symptom of VL. Of all participants, only 52.1% knew sand fly as the vector of the disease. The overall assessment of participants indicated that 21.1% were knowledgeable, 53.6% had positive attitudes and 14.9% had optimal practices on VL. In conclusion, the survey indicated that participants had better attitude about VL. However, there were a large gap in knowledge and practices. The misunderstanding and incorrect practices may remain serious concerns in the control and prevention of the disease. It is recommended that health education program should be strengthened to increase peoples' awareness and improve their practices on VL in the district and further studies are strongly suggested for better understanding of the dynamics of the disease in the area.

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