Investigation of fungi responsible for the post harvest deterioration of Lycopersicum esculentus (tomatoes), Elaeis guineensis (palm fruit), Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato), Solanum tuberosum (Irish potato), Musa sapientum (banana), Doucus carota (carrot), Musa paradisiaca (plantain), Carica papaya (pawpaw), Persea americana (Avocado pear), Citrullus lanatus (water-melon) and Capsicum chinense (fresh red pepper) from five different markets and farm lands in Enugu state, Nigeria was carried out. Healthy and diseased samples were collected from the selected markets/ farmlands. Fungal species found associated with the deterioration of the various fruits and vegetables tested included Mucor species (M. indicus, M. amphibiorum, M. racemosus and M. hiemalis), Rhizopus species (Rhizopus stolonifer, R. nigrican and R. oligosporus), Candida albicans, Aspergillus species (Aspergillus fumigatus, A. niger and A. flavus) and Penicillum species (P. oxalicum and P. chrysogenum) and Fusarium species (F. accuminatum, F. oxysporum, F. eqiuseti and F. moniliforme, F. solani, F. dimerum). All isolated fungi were pathogenic to the different fruits and vegetables from the result of pathogencity tests carried out.

The microbiological quality of sachet and tap water in Enugu, State, Nigeria was analyzed. Sachet water was purchased from five different manufacturers.

Combretum micranthun G. Don (Combretaceae) is reputed in folk medicine for its anti-infective properties. In this study, we screened aqueous and methanol extracts of Combretum micranthun for antibacterial activities against nosocomial bacterial isolates. The methanolic and aqueous extracts of the leaves, root-bark and stem-bark were screened against the 25 different nosocomial isolates each of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from patients presenting with various ailment at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu using the agar well diffusion technique. The extracts of Combretum micranthun exhibited antimicrobial activities against both Gram-negative and the Gram-positive isolates including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureaus. Generally, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococus pyogenes showed the highest level of susceptibility to the extracts of Combretum micranthun. The hot aqueous, the methanol and the cold aqueous extracts were more effective than other extracts in inhibiting all the isolates tested. The extracts of the plant C. micranthum G. Don showed high antimicrobial effectiveness against the different 200 clinical isolates of both Gram positive and Gram negative isolates screened and could therefore be harnessed as a potent antibacterial agents or could possibly provide leads for the synthesis of novel anti-infective agents.

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Dental caries is one of the most prevalent and costly diseases that are a challenge to health care providers. There is limited data on the bacterial profile and risks associated with dental caries in Nigeria. The study aimed to isolate and identify bacteria and risk factors associated with dental caries in Enugu. It was a case-controlled study. A total of 336 samples were randomly collected comprising of 125 healthy subjects and 211 patients with dental caries attending various hospitals and dental clinics in Enugu, Nigeria. Samples were subjected to standard microbiological and biochemical techniques. Standardized questionnaires were used to record demographic variables and risk factors. A total of 635 and 254 microorganisms were isolated from carious lesions and healthy subjects respectively. Of these 635 isolates, 218 (34.4%) Gram-positive bacilli, 210 (33.0%) Gram-positive cocci, 46 (7.2%) Gram-negative cocci, and 43 (6.8%) yeasts were recovered. Two hundred and seven samples were (98.1%) polymicrobial while 4 samples (1.9%) were monomicrobial. Among the organisms recovered, anaerobic Lactobacillus spp (141, 66.8%) was the most prevalent followed by Streptococcus mutans (104, 49.2%), and the least were Actinomyces israelii and Capnocytophaga spp (1, 0.05%) respectively. Of the 254 isolates from apparently healthy subjects, Streptococcus sanguis ranked highest and the least was Porphyromonas gingivalis. The factors that were found to be significantly associated with dental caries were level of education P=0.005, feeding habit P= 0.001, Favourite snack P=0.004, sweet consumption P< 0.0001, type of gum P < 0.0001, history of toothache P < 0.0001, visit dentist P< 0.0001, and the bleeding gum P < 0.0001. This research highlighted the polymicrobial nature of carious lesions and associated predictors of dental caries.  Hence public enlightenment and the implementation of oral health education in schools are crucial.