Forty-one (29)kununThe high bacterial load of most of the samples can be attributed to the poor hygienic practices of the handlers and possible contamination from the utensils and water that were used for processing of the beverage. The presence of these organisms could be a matter of serious concern as these organisms are involved in some health implications causing various diseases.

Aim: Contracting infectious diseases from microbial contaminated toilet door handles is a potential threat to public health and safety. Therefore we performed microbiological screening of toilet door handles in twelve рublic toilets on Baze University campus for bacterial contamination. Methodology and Results: Biochemical analysis of bacterial isolates from entrance toilet door handles in six building blocks on Baze University camрus, revealed a general contamination by mainly seven bacterial species associated with human gut and skin flora in order of decreasing frequency as follows: Staphylococcus aureus 42.9%; Salmonella typhimurium 21.4%; Escherichia coli 14.3%; Pseudomonas aeruginosa 9.5%; Proteus mirablis 4.8%; Klebsiella oxytoca 4.8%; and Klebsiella pneumoniae with 2.3% prevalence. Results of the total aerobic mesophillic count showed A-Block with the highest amount of contamination-768*10 5 CFU/ml, while B-Block had the least amount of bacterial contamination-473*10 5 CFU/ml. The levels of bacterial contamination in the other blocks were as follows: C-Block-710*10 5 CFU/ml, D-Block-695*10 5 CFU/ml, E-Block-567*10 5 CFU/ml, and F-Block-743*10 5 CFU/ml. Conclusion: Overall of the seven isolated bacterial sрecies five were mainly gut-associated bacteria, suggesting feacal contamination. The others were skin-associated bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus), suggesting routine touch by hands, and soil-associated bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) suggesting contamination from settling dust рarticles. This study is relevant for public health and safety, as its findings reveal the presence of bacterial pathogens on toilet door handles, which is vital in preventing the spread of infectious disease.

This work was carried out in collaboration between all authors. Author MIA designed the study, performed the statistical analysis, wrote the protocol, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript and managed literature searches. Authors BOO, GOA, PO and KI managed the analyses of the study and literature searches. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

A confounding factor for healthcare programmes in African countries is the inability of essential health tools to reach targeted locations and populations, due to poor Logistics Management Information System (LMIS). In a bid to contribute towards addressing these challenges, a pilot study was undertaken to evaluate the tracking ability, reliability and applicability of EASE App, a novel Smart Phone based Application. The App is designed to provide real-time tracking and tracing of commodities as well as curation of data in a cloud based database with restricted access which can be linked with other databases. In this study, NIPRIMAL was labelled with QR codes, and tracked within the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria, using the smartphone based EASE App. Data collected showed that the “EASE App” tracking had accuracy of 100% for date and time of scan, operators’ codes and product identity; and 92.83±1.69% and 99.83±0.27% accuracy for GPS mapping label for the city and country, respectively. The GPS mapping label for specific streets, roads or districts, gave an accuracy of about 64.28±3.14%. The technology was able to provide real-time data on user unique identity, user location as well as date/time of use, and the feedback report indicated that it was readily deployable and easy to use. The results demonstrate that the “EASE App” is a promising technology that can support supply chain and related data management challenges in resource poor settings. The potential benefit of the EASE App in strengthening LMIS and distribution chain system in Africa as well as future optimization of the App are discussed.

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Background: The rising incidence of fungal infections has created the need for the next generation of antifungal agents, as many of the currently available ones either have adverse effects, or are not active against emerging or re-emerging fungi, leading to the fast progression of resistant strains. Objectives: This study aims at evaluating the antifungal activities of some medicinal plants used traditionally for treating skin infections in Nigeria. Methods: In vitro antifungal activities of seven indigenous plants (Leptadenia hastate, Lawsonia inermis, Hyptis suaveolens, Luffa cylindrica, Jatropha curcas, Pterocarpus erinaceous and Afromaxia laxiflora) were screened against Candida albicans ATCC 10231, Candida tropicalis ATCC 13803, clinical strains of Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Trichophyton rubrum, Microsporum canis and Epidermophyton floccosum using agar dilution and micro broth dilution methods. Terbinafine and fluconazole were used as reference standards for comparism. Results: The results showed that the ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of the plants produced better antifungal effects than the hexane and water extracts. Luffa cylindrica and H. suaveolens exhibited the strongest inhibitory activity against all the fungi tested with minimum inhibitory concentration values ranging between 250 and 1000 µg/mL. Conclusion: The plants screened could serve as leads for the development of new antifungal drugs.

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Background: Plants remain as an untapped reservoir of potentially useful chemical compounds. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the in vivo antifungal activities, bioautographic profile and in vitro mechanism of action. Methods: The in vivo antifungal activity was investigated against Candida albicans and Trichophyton rubrum in Wistar rats. Thin layer bioautographic profile of the ethyl acetate extract was assessed using agar overlay method. The possible in vitro mechanism of action of the crude ethyl acetate extract was assessed by the sorbitol protection assay and release of cellular materials assay. Results: The bioautographic profile showed the presence of three active spots having retardation factors of 0.4, 0.6 and 0.92 and diameter zone of inhibition, 15.0 – 30.0 mm. The in vivo antifungal (dermal) activity of the crude ethyl acetate extract, revealed a gradual healing of the infected rats skin upon treatment with the extract formulation, with no visible clinical signs of toxicity to the skin. In vivo systemic antifungal evaluation of the crude extract at a dose of 1500 mg/kg produced the strongest systemic antifungal activity with a total kill of all the fungal isolates at day 3 of treatment in rats however, histopathological examination after oral administration revealed signs of toxicity to vital organs (kidney, liver and lungs). Conclusion: The good in vivo activity supports its ethno-botanical use in the treatment of skin diseases.