BackgroundOne way that people get infected with intestinal parasites is through the consumption of contaminated vegetables and fruits. This study aimed at determining the prevalence and predictors of parasitic contamination of fruits and vegetables collected from four local markets in Arba Minch town, Southern Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 to 21 September 2014 to determine the level of parasitic contamination of fruits and vegetables sold in Arba Minch town. A total of 360 samples of different types of fruits and vegetables were soaked in physiological saline, followed by vigorous shaking with the aid of a mechanical shaker for 15 minutes and then examined using the sedimentation concentration technique.ResultsOut of the 360 samples examined, 196 (54.4%) were contaminated with at least one type of parasite. Ascaris lumbricoides (20.83%) was the most frequently detected parasite and Isospora belli (3.06%) was the least frequently detected one. It was also observed that decreased parasitic contamination was significantly associated with washing the products before displaying it for selling (P < 0.001).ConclusionsThe findings of this study provide evidence that there is a potentially high risk of acquiring parasitic infections from the consumption of raw vegetables and fruits in Arba Minch, Ethiopia. The authors believe that an effort should be made by the relevant bodies to reduce the rate of contamination of products with medically important parasites by educating the vendors and the community.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40249-016-0226-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction: Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are the most common nosocomial infection and a leading cause of morbidity. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, associated factors and antibiogram of the bacterial isolates among CAUTIs patients. Methods: A facility-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from March to December 2019 at Arba Minch General Hospital, Southern Ethiopia. Clinical and sociodemographic data were obtained using a questionnaire. Clean catch midstream urine samples were collected and inoculated onto blood agar, MacConkey agar, and cysteine lactose electrolyte deficient agar (CLED). The inoculated culture media were incubated in an aerobic atmosphere at 37°C for 24 h. After overnight incubation, the bacterial growth on the respective media was inspected visually and graded for the presence of significant bacteriuria. A significant bacteriuria was considered, if pure culture at a concentration of ≥10 5 colony forming unit (CFU)/mL. All isolates were further identified using colony morphology and biochemical tests. Antimicrobial sensitivity was determined by modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. P-value less than 0.05 was used as statistical significance. Results: The overall incidence of symptomatic CAUTIs was 39/231 (16.8%). Independent predictors of CAUTIs were prolonged (≥7 days) catheterization (AOR = 3.6, 95% CI = 1.0-12.2), diabetes mellitus (AOR = 5.3, 95% CI = 1.4-19.6) and insertion of catheter in surgical ward (AOR = 3.6, 95% CI = 1.08-12.28). The most common bacterial isolates were E. coli 17/42 (40.5%), Klebsiella species 9/42 (21.4%) and Enterococcus species 5/42 (11.9%). High (>80%) drug resistance was observed against cotrimoxazole, cefoxitin and tetracycline. Ciprofloxacin and nitrofurantoin were the most active drugs. The overall prevalence of MDR among isolates was 37/42 (88.1%). Most bacterial isolates 30/42 (71.4%) were biofilm producers. Conclusion: High levels of drug resistance were observed to commonly used antibiotics. In our study, biofilm-producing bacterial isolates were the predominant cause of CAUTIs. Therefore, continuous surveillance of antimicrobial resistance patterns is necessary to help physicians in treatment and management of CAUTIs.

Background. In developing countries, the prevalence of bacterial infections is quite rampant due to several factors such as the HIV/AIDS pandemic, lack of hygiene, overcrowding, and resistance to conventional antimicrobials. Hence the use of plant-based antimicrobial agents could provide a low-cost alternative therapy. Rosmarinus officinalis is reputed as a medicinal plant in Ethiopia; however, its antibacterial activity against many of the clinical isolates remains overlooked. Methods. Tender foliage of R. officinalis was collected and extracted in ethanol (EtOH) and evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against ten multidrug-resistant (MDR) clinical isolates, human type culture pathogens, and meat-borne bacterial isolates by employing agar well diffusion assay. Results. EtOH extract of R. officinalis efficiently subdued the growth of all tested MDR clinical isolates in varying degrees. Salmonella sp. and Staphylococcus aureus were found to be the most sensitive clinical isolates. Likewise, it efficiently repressed the growth of meat-borne pathogens, particularly, S. aureus and Salmonella sp. showing its potentiality to be used as a natural antibacterial agent in the meat processing industry. The mechanism of antibiosis of plant extract against meat-borne pathogens is inferred to be bactericidal. Chemical constituents of the crude plant extract were analysed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), and UV-visible spectroscopy showing genkwanin (26%), camphor (13%), endo-borneol (13%), alpha-terpineol (12%), and hydroxyhydrocaffeic acid (13%) as the major compounds. Conclusion. Overall results of the present study conclude that R. officinalis could be an excellent source of antimicrobial agents for the management of drug-resistant bacteria as well as meat-borne pathogens.

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a very frequent infection both in the community and hospital patients, and the emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the community setting and infections with this pathogen become a prevalent problem among UTI patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine prevalence and associated factors of methicillin resistance staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among urinary tract infection suspected patients attending at Arba Minch General Hospital. Methods: Facility-based cross-sectional study was done at Arba Minch General Hospital from July to October 2020. Midstream urine specimen was collected from outpatients, cultured and biochemical tests were performed to identify the intended pathogen, finally the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of MRSA was done and possible associated factors were determined. The cleaned data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Results: Four hundred and twenty two (422) adult outpatients were enrolled in this study, of which males accounted for 238 (56.4%) of the participants. The mean and standard deviation age of the participants was 27.4 (SD 27.4 ± 15.6) years. A total of 54 S. aureus isolates were recovered from urine specimen. The prevalence of MRSA among the isolated S. aureus was 23/54 (42.59% (95% CI (35.0, 47.0)). Participants who had previous exposure to UTI (p < 0.002), presence of chronic disease (p < 0.029), and hospitalization (p < 0.006) were statically associated with the prevalence of MRSA. From all the MRSA isolates, 53.7% were resistant against Nitrofurantoin. Conclusion:This study revealed that MRSA could be prevalent in isolates from patients suspected of urinary tract infection and exhibiting different resistance pattern for antibiotics commonly used for treatment of staphylococcal infections.

Preventive chemotherapy (PC), the main strategy recommended by the World Health Organization to eliminate soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) and schistosomiasis (SCH), should be strengthened through identification of the remaining SCH transmission foci and evaluating its impact to get a lesson. This study was aimed to assess the prevalence of STH/SCH infections, the intensity of infections, and factors associated with STH infection among school-aged children (SAC) in Uba Debretsehay and Dara Mallo districts (previously not known to be endemic for SCH) in southern Ethiopia, October to December 2019. Structured interview questionnaire was used to collect household data, anthropometric measurements were taken and stool samples collected from 2079 children were diagnosed using the Kato-Katz technique. Generalize mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to assess the association of STH infections with potential predictors. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni in the Dara Mallo district was 34.3% (95%CI 30.9–37.9%). Light, moderate, and heavy S. mansoni infections were 15.2%, 10.9%, and 8.2% respectively. The overall prevalence of any STH infection was 33.2% with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 31.1–35.3%. The intensity of infections was light (20.9%, 11.3% & 5.3%), moderate (1.1%, 0.1% & 0.4%) and heavy (0.3%, 0% & 0%) for hookworm, whipworm and roundworms respectively. The overall moderate-to-heavy intensity of infection among the total diagnosed children was 2% (41/2079). STH infection was higher among male SAC with Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) of 1.7 (95%CI 1.4–2.1); occupation of the household head other than farmer or housewife (AOR = 0.5; 95%CI 0.3–0.8), middle [AOR = 1.1; 95%CI 1.0–1.3] or high [AOR = 0.7; 95%CI 0.5–0.9] socioeconomic status. Dara Mallo district was moderate endemic for S. mansoni; and it needs sub-district level mapping and initiating a deworming campaign. Both districts remained moderate endemic for STH. Evidence-based strategies supplementing existing interventions with the main focus of the identified factors is important to realize the set targets.

Intoduction Patient-care equipment and inanimate objects contaminated with bacteria are a persistent problem in countries like Ethiopia, and remain overlooked. This study aimed to elucidate the magnitude of contaminations, diversity, and antimicrobial-susceptibility patterns of bacterial isolates from selected wards of Arba Minch General Hospital, Ethiopia. Methods Samples were inoculated into bacteriological media and identified by biochemical characterization, followed by antimicrobial-susceptibility tests. Results Of the 99 inanimate objects and items of patient-care equipment examined, 71 (71.7%) showed contamination: 26 (76.4%) from the surgical ward and 22 (66.6%) and 23 (71.8%), respectively, from the pediatric ward and neonatal intensive care unit. In the case of Gram-positive bacteria, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS; 52.2%) were predominant, followed by Staphylococcus aureus (47.7%), whereas common Gram-negative counterparts were Acinetobacter spp. (28.5%) and Klebsiella spp. (23.8%). Antibiograms of S. aureus and CoNS showed 100% and 78% resistance, respectively, against penicillin. Isolates of Acinetobacter spp. showed 100% resistance to ceftriaxone and ampicillin, whereas those of Klebsiella spp. displayed complete resistance against ampicillin and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole. All isolates of Citrobacter spp., Enterobacter spp., Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli , and Serratia spp. exhibited 100% resistance to amoxicillin, ampicillin, and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole. Overall prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria was 57.7%. Conclusion A stringent infection-vigilance program comprising routine sampling from equipment and inanimate objects combined with antimicrobial-resistance surveillance and decontamination efforts must be instituted promptly.

Background Despite the growing evidence that malaria and anaemia are two interlinked health problems of school-aged children (SAC) in developing countries, there is scarce information about malaria among SAC in Ethiopia. Moreover, anaemia-related studies were more concentrated in easily accessible areas. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of malaria and anaemia and corresponding risk factors among SAC in Dara Mallo and Uba Debretshay districts, in hard to reach areas, so as to inform appropriate integrated interventions for both diseases. Methods This study was part of baseline data collected for a cluster-randomized trial registered in Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR202001837195738). Data were collected from 2167 SAC and their households through face-to-face interview; malaria was diagnosed by using rapid diagnostic test (RDT); haemoglobin concentration was determined using hemoCue hb 301 and adjusted for altitude to determine anaemic status; helminth infections were determined by using kato-katz, and anthropometric measurements were made to determine nutritional status of children. Generalized mixed effects logistic regression model was used to assess the association between predictor variables and malaria and anaemia using school as a random variable. Results The overall prevalence of malaria was 1.62% (95% CI 1.15–2.27%) (35/2167). Of the 35 children positive for malaria, 20 (57.14%), 3 (8.57%) and 12 (34.29%) were due to Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax and mixed infections of P. falciparum and P. vivax, respectively. Malaria was significantly lower among children from literate household head (Adjusted OR  =  0.38; 95% CI 0.15–0.95) and residence house located at an altitude range above 1100 masl (AOR  =  0.40; 95% CI 0.17–0.94). The prevalence of anaemia was 22.00% (95% CI 20.3–23.8%) (477/2167) and was significantly reduced by eating legumes, nuts or seed group of food in their 24-h dietary diversity recall (AOR  =  0.64; 95% CI 0.41–0.99). Conclusions The prevalence of malaria was low and unevenly distributed per school while the overall prevalence of anaemia was moderate. It is important to implement integrated interventions targeting both malaria and anaemia, with special emphasis given to children from illiterate households and living at an altitude below 1100 masl. The micronutrient content of locally grown legumes should be further investigated to recommend specific interventions to overcome anaemia.

Background Malaria is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among school-age children (SAC) in sub-Saharan Africa. SAC account for more than 60% of the reservoir of malaria transmission, but they are given less emphasis in prioritizing malaria prevention interventions. This study was aimed at assessing the ownership of long-lasting insecticide treated bed nets (LLINs), its utilization and factors associated with ownership of LLINs by households and LLINs utilization among SAC in malaria-prone areas of Dara Mallo and Uba Debretsehay districts in Southern Ethiopia, October to December 2019. Methods This study is part of a baseline assessment in a cluster-randomized controlled trial. The data was collected through interview and observation, following a structured questionnaire, of 2261 SAC households. Univariable and multivariable multilevel logistic regressions were used to assess the association between LLINs ownership and utilization and potential predictor variables. Odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to determine the strength and statistical significance of association. Results The ownership of at least one LLIN by households of SAC was about 19.3% (95% CI 17.7–21.0%) but only 10.3% % (95% CI 7.7–13.7%) of these households had adequate access of bed nets to the household members. Ownership of bed net was marginally affected by living in semi-urban area (adjusted OR = 2.6; 95% CI 1.0–6.9) and occupational status of the household head being a civil servant (adjusted OR = 2.7; 95% CI 0.9–7.9). About 7.8% (95% CI 6.7–10.0%) of all SAC participated in the study and 40.4% (95% CI 57.4–66.7%) of children in households owning at least one LLIN passed the previous night under LLIN. LLIN utilization by SAC conditional to presence of at least one net in the household was significantly correlated with education level of mother above grade 6 (adjusted OR = 3.4; 95% CI 1.3–9.3) and the household size to bed net ratio less than or equal to 2 (adjusted OR = 20.7; 95% CI 4.7–132.5). Conclusion Ownership of bed net was lower than universal coverage of at least one bed net for two individuals. It is important to monitor replacement needs and educate mothers with low education level with their SAC on the benefit of consistent utilization of bed nets.