BACKGROUND Self-medication is linked to the inappropriate and irrational use of medicines. This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice of self-medication among health care workers (HCWs) in a tertiary hospital in Southern Nigeria. METHODS In a cross-sectional study carried out between June 2018 and December 2018 at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State, 206 consenting HCWs were interviewed using validated questionnaires on their knowledge (assessed as good, fair, and poor), attitude (positive and negative), and practice of self-medication. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 21 (IBM Corp., USA). Bivariate analysis was carried out using chi-square. Statistical significance was set as p<0.05. RESULTS Prevalence of self-medication in the last 4 months was 89.3%, and significantly decreased with increasing age (p = 0.04) and holding a positive attitude toward self-medication (p<0.01). Knowledge of self-medication was fair for the majority 111 (53.9%). Most of the medications were used for headache (92.4%), fever (81.5%), diarrhea (75.0%), and respiratory infections (61.4%). Common drugs self-medicated included antimalarials (91.3%), analgesics (81.0%), and antibiotics (71.2%). 39 subjects (21.2%) self-medicated with tranquilizers. Familiarity with the treatment options was the main reason for self-medication for 60.9% of the respondents. CONCLUSIONS Self-medication was prevalent among HCWs in the study area. Concerted efforts are needed to educate HCWs on responsible self-medication. On a broader scale, restrictions should be enforced on the sale of prescription drugs, such as antibiotics and sleeping pills, and drug dispensers should provide effective counseling before dispensing.

Vibrio is a genus of bacteria belonging to the family Vibrionaceae and is of epidemiological importance. This organism is commonly found in aquatic environments and is associated with water and food-related infectious disease outbreaks of public health concern globally. About 85% of presumptive isolates recovered from fish and fish storage water collected from major markets in Okitipupa and Igbokoda areas of Ondo State, Nigeria were confirmed as Vibrio species via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques with the Vibrio-specific 16S rRNA gene as a target. Primers for 0mpW and toxR genes were used to identify V. cholerae and V. parahaemolyticus respectively. The isolates were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing against 12 antibiotics belonging to 8 classes. The prevalence of Vibrio cholerae and V. parahaemolyticus was 3.9% and 12.5% respectively. Vibrio spp. obtained in this study showed resistance to Meropenem (88.3%), Cefotaxime (81.3%), Ceftazidime (79.7%), Cefuroxime (78.1%), Tetracycline (54.7), Vancomycin (38.3%), Ceftriaxone (26.6%), Cotrimoxazole (21.9), Chloramphenicol (18%), Ciprofloxacin (12.5%), Amikacin (10.9%) and Gentamicin (6.2%). Vibrio species obtained from both sampled sites showed the highest susceptibility to Gentamicin (93.8%). Multiple antibiotic resistant Index (MARI) observed among the Vibrio species ranged from 0.25 and 0.83. This study revealed high incidence of multi-drug resistant Vibrio spp in the fish sold in these major markets, which suggests antimicrobial abuse in the study area. We concluded that the consumption of this aquaculture produce without proper processing and the discharge of the storage water into the environment without treatment pose a public and environmental health threat respectively.

Aims: The aims of the study were to evaluate the multidrug resistance profile and mechanisms of carbapenem resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates using phenotypic and genotypic methods. Study Design: A descriptive laboratory based study. Place and Duration of Study: Microbiology Laboratory, Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, and Biotechnology Laboratory, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo, Nigeria, between June 2017 and November 2018. Methodology: Ten P. aeruginosa isolates were recovered from patients at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, and susceptibilities to imipenem (10 µg), meropenem (10 µg) and a panel of antibiotics were performed by the disk diffusion method. Genotypic methods including Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCR) and agarose gel electrophoresis were carried out according to established protocols. oprD and blaIMP gene primers were used for the PCR amplification. Results: Fifty percent (50%) of the isolates showed multiple drug resistance. Four isolates (40%) were carbapenem resistant (CR). oprD gene was detectedin 90% (9/10) of the isolates. 75% (3/4) of CR strains were among the strains showing oprD gene. 25% (1/4) CR strain (PA1421) was oprD negative. Loss or mutation of oprD gene seems to be the mechanism of carbapenem resistance in strain PA1421. Conclusion: Loss or mutation of oprD gene was identified in this study as a mechanism of carbapenem resistance. oprD gene encodes the outer membrane protein (OprD) porin in P. aeruginosa whose deficiency confers resistance to carbapenems, especially imipenem. Surveillance of the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of P. aeruginosa is of critical importance in understanding new and emerging resistance trends, reviewing antibiotic policies and informing therapeutic options.

Ethanolic and aqueous extracts of three local medicinal plants viz Alchornea cordifolia, Nauclea latifolia and Spondias mombin were screened against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi. The results reveal that ethanolic extract of A. cordifolia showed activity against P. aeruginosa, E coli and S .typhi with mean minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 2.733, 2.887 and 0.602 mg/ml respectively, while its aqueous extract was active against S .typhi only, (MIC 0.912 mg/ml). Ethanolic extract of S. mombin was only active against S. typhi (MIC 1.445 mg/ml) while its aqueous extract exhibited activity against S. aureus and S. typhi with MIC values of 0.622 and 1.514 mg/ml respectively. Results of Independent Samples t-test infer that there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the susceptibilities to the plant extracts between antibiotic-resistant and sensitive P. aeruginosa. These findings underscore the possibility of using A. cordifolia and S. mombin extracts in developing alternative drugs for cases of drug resistance in infections caused by S. aureus and S. typhi

Aims: The study investigated the nasal and skin carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in healthy individuals and the antibiotic resistance profile. Study Design: A descriptive laboratory based surveillance study.