Background: Due to its persistent nature, ulcers brought on by Helicobacter pylori have been a significant public health concern. This study looked at how specific risk factors affected the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection among peptic ulcer patients visiting medical institutions in Lafia, Nigeria. Methods:The blood and stool samples of 180 individuals (71 men and 109 women) were collected randomly, checked for H. pylori using test strips for H. pylori antibodies and antigens (Azure Biotech Inc.), and the feces also were grown on Columbia blood agar base (TITAN Biotech Ltd). Using a standardized questionnaire, some participant risk data was also gathered. Results:A positive culture method (CM) test result was obtained from 14/71 (19.72%) of the 71 male patients and 37/109 (33.94%) of the 109 female subjects out of a total of 210 subjects. For CM alone, it was discovered that female participants had a considerably greater incidence of Helicobacter pylori infection than their male counterparts (p=0.038). Nevertheless, all analytical techniques discovered no evidence of a significant difference between age groups (p>0.05). Only the blood antibody (BAB) approach showed a substantially greater prevalence (p=0.021) in married patients, with 79/116 (68.10%) reactive instances. The presence of drinking water source (p < 0.001, 0.001, 0.002 using CM, BAB, and SAG, respectively) and number of occupants per room (p < 0.001, 0.001, 0.002 using CM, BAB, and SAG, respectively) as potential risk factors for H. pylori infection was also demonstrated. Conclusion:The majority of risk factors that were taken into consideration for this study demonstrated a strong correlation with Helicobacter pylori infection in Lafia, Nigeria.

Introduction: Viral Hepatitis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are most common top ranking leading causes of infectious diseases and deaths worldwide. If these infections, remain unidentified and untreated among HIV infected pregnant women, children born to these pregnant women are at high risk of these viral hepatitis infections. Aims: The aim of the study was to determine the sero-prevalence of HBV and HCV among HIV infected pregnant women in Abuja, Nigeria. Methodology: A cross sectional study among 330 HIV infected pregnant women commencing antiretroviral therapy (ART) at National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Abuja, Nigeria were studied. The women were screened for the presence of HBV and HCV antibodies. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to obtain socio-demographic data prior to recruitment/enrollment. Data were analyzed using statistical product and service solutions (SPSS) (version 20.0). Results: Out of the 330 HIV infected pregnant women, 90 (27.3%) were HBV positive, while 5 (1.5%) were HCV positive (p = 0.42). The highest prevalence was observed among the age group of 20 – 29. However, none of the patients tested positive for both HBV and HCV. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that infection with viral hepatitis is common and of public health concern. Therefore, concerted efforts should be put in place to mitigate the epidemics.

Aims:Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that still develops life threatening infections in patients with immunological system defects like burns. The major problem with this organism is the ability to persist during infections due to its high rate of resistance to many drugs. This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence and drug susceptibility profile of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients admitted to a burn unit in a tertiary health facility. Methodology and Result: From 80 selected patients, appropriate clinical specimens from burn sites were collected and processed for the isolation and identification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.. Also, 78 surveillance samples from various environmental sites and hands impressions of nursing staff in the burn unit were cultured for the isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Drug susceptibility profile showed high resistance for ceftazidime (40.7%) ciprofloxacin (13.1%) and piperacillin (34.6%); furthermore, low resistance for some antibiotics like imipenem (17.5%) pipereracillin/tazobactam (12.3%) and aztreonam (16%) were obtained. In addition, 8 multiresistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MRPA) isolates were recovered from clinical specimens and from environmental samples. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: Evidence of high prevalence of clinical and environmental MRPA reported in this study provides the rationale for strict enforcement of infection prevention protocol to minimize cross transmission of bacterial pathogens in hospital burn units and consequent disease burden arising from MRPA.

Purpose: Helicobacter pylori has been implicated in most severe cases of peptic ulcer. Despite this development, the diagnosis of this infection has been a major challenge due to the difficulty encountered during isolation using the conventional culture method. Presently, most health facilities in rural communities in Nigeria still adopt the culture method as the gold standard technique for the diagnosis of H. pylori infections.  The need for the introduction of more accurate, robust and rapid diagnostic techniques is therefore imperative. This study was carried out to compare the overall performance of two diagnostic methods in the assessment of Helicobacter pylori infection status among peptic ulcer suspected patients attending health facilities in Lafia, Nigeria, using stool antigen immunoassay test and blood antibody test methods. Methodology: A total of 180 patients with peptic ulcer symptoms attending three health facilities (80 from DASH and 50 each from Jafamek Diagnostic Centre and Haske Hospital) were recruited by designated health workers through random selection using non-probability and convenience sampling.  The blood and stool samples of each participant were screened using H. pylori antibody/ antigen test strips (Azure Biotech Inc). The stool samples were cultured on Brain Heart Infusion agar (Oxoid, UK) and the result used as a gold standard in this study. Data obtained were presented as frequencies and association between test methods analysed using contingency chi-square test and Cohen kappa statistics. Results: The outcome of the study showed that out of the 180 participants screened, 51 (28.33%) were positive using the culture method (CM), 111 (61.67%) were reactive for Helicobacter pylori blood antibody test (BAB), while 86 (47.78%) were positive for Helicobacter pylori stool antigen test (SAG). The sensitivity and specificity of the two methods were recorded as 74.50%, 44.20% and 70.60%, 61.20% for BAB and SAG respectively. The level of agreement according to the value of kappa was found to be poor with BAB but fair with SAG. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, the overall prevalence of H. pylori infection among the patients was relatively low compared to values obtained from other areas in Nigeria. Also, the stool antigen analytical method had the highest diagnostic accuracy compared to the serum antibody and culture techniques. Recommendation: The stool antigen method is considered the most effective in the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infections in the study community and should therefore be used regularly as first choice option.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is endemic and well documented in different locations of Nigeria among different sub-groups. Information regarding the prevalence of HBV in HIV infected women is scarce especially in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria. Aim: This study aimed at determining the prevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) among HIV infected women seeking for antiretroviral therapy (ART) at the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Abuja, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A health facility-based cross-sectional study was carried out in our laboratory from May, 2017 to March, 2019 among 1,386 recruited HIV infected women that were screened for HBsAg. Positive samples were confirmed using ELISA. Their socio-demographic data were collected using a questionnaire and written informed consent was obtained prior to study. Data were analyzed using frequency distribution table and SPSS (version 20.0). Results: Out of the 1,386 HIV infected women tested, 114 were seropositive for HBV infection giving an infection prevalence of 8.2%. The highest prevalence (2.2%) was observed at age group 25 – 29 years and followed by (1.7%) at age groups of 20 – 24 and 35 – 39 years. Conclusion: This finding confirms high endemic of HBV infection. We recommend that HIV infected women should be routinely screened for HBV as part of ART commencement requirement.