This study accessed the dynamics of urogenital schistosomiasis transmission in Nkalagu Community. A total of 500 mid-day urine samples were collected and transported to Microbiology Laboratory, Ebonyi State University, for analysis. 10ml each of the urine samples was centrifuged at 2500 rpm for 5 minutes. Transmission potential of snail intermediate host of Schistosomes collected from different sampling station at the transmission sites within the study community was equally accessed. The snail species collected were placed individually into a clean beaker with little quantity of water and then subjected to shedding light for 2 hours. Data obtained were entered in excel spread sheet and analyzed using chi square test. The result obtained shows that 205 (41%) out of 500 individuals examined were excreting S. haematobium ova in their urine. The highest prevalence of infection (23%) was found among 11-20-year age groups. Males were more infected (25.4%) than their female counterparts (15.6%), although this was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). A total of 283 snails belonging to two Bulinus species (B. globosus and B. truncatus) were collected from the four sites sampled. Bulinus globosus recorded the highest species abundance (177) with the highest occurrence in site A. 52 (18.4%) out of 283 snails collected were infected with cercariae, and the highest cercariae infection (12.0%) was recorded among B. globosus. With prevalence of 41% among the human population and the prevalence of 18.4% patent infection among the snail intermediate hosts, urogenital schistosomiasis is still a public health problem in the study area and falls within the WHO classification of endemic area. Public health campaign is recommended in order to educate the people on the mode of transmission and control of the disease.

The search for the healing properties of plants is an ancient idea that has remained even till date. In this work, the antibacterial activity of leaf extracts of Corchorus olitorius, Pterocarpus santaliniodes, Pentaclethra macrophylla and Azadirachta indica was tested against resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella species and Streptococcus species using agar well diffusion method. The following concentrations of 100, 50, 25 and 12.5 mg/ml of aqueous, ethanol and methanol leaf extracts were used against the test organisms. Results of this study reveal that all the leaf extracts had antibacterial activity against the test organisms at various concentrations (in particular: at 100 and 50 mg/ml) but the aqueous leaf extracts had higher inhibitory effect for all of them. However, little inhibitory effect was observed with the methanol and ethanol leaf extracts. Our findings justify the therapeutic use of these plants by traditional healers in most part of Nigeria for the treatment of infections caused by these bacteria. Medicinal plants have unlimited possibilities to produce putative compounds for the development of novel drugs to curtail the upward trend in bacterial resistance, thus the need for sustained research towards this objective.

Problem statement: Resistance to third generation cephalosporins due to acquisition and expression of Extended Spectrum β-Lactamase (ESBL) among Gram-negative bacteria is on the increase. Infections involving extended spectrum beta lactamase bacteria are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Therefore, infections due to ESBL isolates continue to pose a serious challenge to infection management worldwide. Since screening for ESBL is not a common practice in hospitals in Enugu state, this study was undertaken to characterize ESBL genes in K. pneumoniae strains from intensive care unit of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu. Approach: Over a period of 29 months, 57 patients out of 140 receiving treatment in the intensive care unit of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospitals Enugu were found to be infected with extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing strains of K. pneumoniae. Species identification of K. pneumoniae strains was performed by Standard Microbiology methods and reconfirmed by MALDI-TOF technology. Phenotypic characterization of Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase (ESBL) was determined by double disc synergy test and presence of ESBL genes was determined by specific PCR. Results: All ESBL producers were positive in a PCR for bla CTX-M-1 cluster and on sequencing, bla CTX-M-15 were found to be present. Genotypic characterization of extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing K. pneumoniae showed that all isolates carried CTX-M-15and SHV genes, 41(71.9%) carried aac (6')-Ib-cr and bla OXA-1, 19(33%) carried bla TEM. ISEcp1 was found upstream and ORF 477 downstream of bla CTX-M. in all strains. Random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis grouped the strains into two clonal groups-A and B and majority of the strains belong to clonal group A (n = 42). Conclusion: This study shows for the first time the presence of ESBL genes in K. pneumoniae from the ICU of UNTH Enugu and therefore strongly butresses the need for regular screening for ESBLproducing bacteria in clinical specimen in ICU and other wards in Nigerian hospitals.

A total of 150 blood and urine samples each were collected from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive patients who visited selected hospitals in Ebonyi State. The subjects were made up of 57 males and 93 female patients. The blood samples were screened for the presence of four human malaria parasites using parasitological examination of blood stained films and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Out of the 150 urine samples from the HIV positive individuals, 88 urine specimens were identified to harbor Plasmodium species. 75 (50%) urine specimens were identified to harbor Plasmodium falciparum while 10 (6.67%) and 3 (2%) were recorded against Plasmodium malariae and dual infection of P. falciparum and P. malariae, respectively. The result of the comparison of the specimens used showed the same result. None of the isolates that were negative by PCR test using DNA primers (template) from blood gave positive results by urine samples. Furthermore, when the primers (rOVA 1 and rOVA 2 ; rV 1 V 1 and rV 1 V 2) specific for Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium vivax, respectively were used, none of the two species mentioned were detected in both urine and blood samples, signifying that these species may be absent in our environment. Our study demonstrated highly, the presence of P. falciparum and P. malariae, especially when specific Plasmodium species DNA markers were used for the analysis.