BackgroundHepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV) infections are major public health problems in sub-Saharan Africa. Whereas it is known that HBV infection is endemic in Nigeria, there is only little data about HDV prevalence available. Here, we assessed the HDV seroprevalence and determined the HDV and HBV genotypes distribution among HBsAg positive individuals in Southwestern Nigeria.MethodsThis cross-sectional study involved 188 serum samples from HBsAg positive outpatients recruited at four tertiary hospitals in Southwestern Nigeria. Anti-HDV antibodies were detected by ELISA while HDV-RNA was detected by RT-PCR. Sequencing followed by phylogenetic analyses and HBV genotype-specific PCR were used to characterize HDV and HBV genotypes, respectively.ResultsOut of 188 HBsAg positive serum samples, 17 (9 %) showed detectable HDV-RNA. Anti-HDV antibodies test was possible from 103 samples and were observed in 4.9 % (5/103) patients. There was no significant difference in HDV prevalence between four main cities across the country. 64.7 % of HDV-RNA positive samples were from males and 35.3 % from females (P < 0.05). No significant associations were observed with regard to HDV seroprevalence and available demographic factors. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated a predominance of HDV genotype 1 and HBV genotype E among the HDV-RNA/HBsAg positive patients.ConclusionsIn conclusion, our study showed a high prevalence of HDV infection in HBsAg carriers and the predominance of HDV genotype 1 infection in Nigerian HBV endemic region. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the relevance of HDV/HBV co-infection and circulating genotypes.

β-Lactam antibiotics are widely used to treat urinary tract infections in Nigeria. This study aimed to determine the presence and characteristics of extended spectrum β-lactamases in commonly isolated uropathogenic Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) in Nigeria.Fifty non-duplicate GNB isolates consisting of Escherichia coli, 19; Klebsiella pneumoniae, 21; and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 10 were obtained from three tertiary hospitals in Nigeria. The antibiotic susceptibility testing of all isolates to a panel of antibiotics including minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and extended spectrum β-lactamases was determined. Polymerase chain reactions and sequencing were used to detect β-lactam genes.Polymerase chain reactions and sequencing identified varying extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) encoding genes for 24 isolates (48.0%). Cefotaximase-Munich (CTX-M) 15 was the dominant gene with 20/24 of the isolates positive at 83.3%; multiple genes (2 to 6 ESBL genes) were found in 20 of the isolates. The isolates encoded other genes such as CTX-M-14, 33.3%; sulfhydryl variable (SHV) variants, 58.3%; oxacillinase (OXA) variants, 70.8%; OXA-10, 29.2%; and Vietnamese extended β-lactamase (VEB) 1, 25.0%. There was no difference between the MIC50 and MIC90 of all the isolates.The high-level multidrug resistance of uropathogens to third generation cephalosporins including other antibiotics used in this study is strongly associated with carriage of ESBLs, predominantly CTX-M-15, as well as CTX-X-M-14, OXA-10, and VEB-1.

The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) has been implicated in the outbreak of an uncommon pneumonia in Chinese City of Wuhan, Hubei Province first reported in late December 2019. Since then, infection has spread to other Chinese cities, as well as internationally, threatening to trigger a pandemic. On January 30 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) in an effort to slow down the global spread of the virus declared the outbreak, “A global public health emergency of international concern”. As at the time of this review, there were more than 31 000 confirmed cases and 638 deaths reported globally. Controversies exist on the origin of the virus with diverse views. The swift rise in morbidity and mortality rate of the virus has caused widespread alarm in China and other parts of the world. This review is aimed at providing relevant information on the possible origin of the virus, its mode of transmission, associated risk factors, existing controversies, consequences of the current trend and control interventions required to halt the widespread of the new coronavirus outbreak.

HIV has been known to interfere with the natural history of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. In this study we investigate the prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) among HIV-infected individuals in Nigeria. Overall, 1200 archived HIV positive samples were screened for detectable HBsAg using rapid technique, in Ikole Ekiti Specialist Hospital. The HBsAg negative samples were tested for HBsAg, anti-HBc, and anti-HCV by ELISA. Polymerase chain reaction was used for HBV DNA amplification and CD4 counts were analyzed by cytometry. Nine hundred and eighty of the HIV samples were HBsAg negative. HBV DNA was detected in 21/188 (11.2%) of patients without detectable HBsAg. CD4 count for the patients ranged from 2 to 2,140 cells/μL of blood (mean = 490 cells/μL of blood). HCV coinfection was detected only in 3/188 (1.6%) of the HIV-infected patients (P > 0.05). Twenty-eight (29.2%) of the 96 HIV samples screened were positive for anti-HBc. Averagely the HBV viral load was <50 copies/mL in the OBI samples examined by quantitative PCR. The prevalence of OBI was significantly high among HIV-infected patients. These findings highlight the significance of nucleic acid testing in HBV diagnosis in HIV patients.

Background: Oral and dental problem is common among many Nigerian populace. The human oral cavity is one of the most dynamic habitats for numerous bacterial species where they undergo intense interspecies competition to form multispecies biofilm structure. Aim: The present study was designed to assess the oral bacterial profile and antibiogram of Adult Patients receiving dental care at Babcock University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), Ilishan-Remo Ogun State. Methods: A total of 200 oral swab samples were collected from 200 consenting participants (100 males and 100 females). The oral swab samples were cultured on Blood agar, MacConkey agar and Mannitol salt agar and incubated at 37 o C. Gram staining, motility test and routine biochemical tests were done for the identification and characterization of the bacterial isolates. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was carried out using the disc diffusion method. Data obtained were analysed using SPSS Statistics software package (version 18.0). Results: The bacterial species isolated include: Streptococcus viridans, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterobacter spp, Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus feacalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. Out of the 288 bacterial isolates obtained, 139 (65.5%) of the oral bacteria isolates were non-pathogenic in nature, while 69 (34.5%) were pathogenic. The pathogenic organism with the highest percentage occurrence was Enterobacter spp (37.7%), followed by Streptococcus pyogenes (24.6%), Enterococcus feacalis (19.7%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (9.8%), Staphylococcus aureus (4.9%) and the least being Escherichia coli (3.3%). Most of the Gram positive bacteria were sensitive to Augmentin, Sulbactomas, Cefroxime, Ciprofloxacin, Levofloxacin, Erythromycin and Azithromycin; while most of the Gram negative bacteria were sensitive to Augumentin, Cefotaxime, Nalidixic acid, Nitrofurantoin and Gentamycin. Conclusion: Pathogenic bacteria capable of causing oral and dental problems exist in the oral cavity of Patients receiving dental care at BUTH with varied antibiotic susceptibility patterns. The outcome of this study underscored the importance of routine oral/dental checks, adequate oral/dental care and treatment of oral infection with appropriate antibiotics.