BackgroundSub-Saharan countries including Nigeria have the highest burden of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the world. Most studies on HPV surveillance in Nigeria were done in the southern part of the country. Geographical and socio-cultural diversity of Nigeria makes these data unlikely to be universally representative for the entire country. Northern Nigeria especially the North-East carries a higher prevalence of cervical cancer and many of its risk factors. The region may be harbouring a higher prevalence of HPV infection with a possibility of different genotypic distribution. This study was carried out to determine the burden and confirm the predominant HPV genotypes among women presenting for cervical cancer screening at the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe (FTHG), North-eastern, Nigeria.MethodsThe study was an observational hospital based cross sectional study among women who presented for cervical cancer screening in FTHG. A total of 209 consenting women were tested for cervical HPV infection using PCR. DNA sequencing was carried out on positive samples to determine the prevalent HPV genotypes.ResultsThe prevalence of cervical HPV infection among the participants with mean age of 39.6 ± 10.4 years was 48.1 %. The five most predominant genotypes were 18, 16, 33, 31 and 35, with prevalence of 44.7 %, 13.2 %, 7.9 %, 5.3 % and 5.3 % respectively. Other genotypes observed were 38, 45, 56, 58, 82 and KC5. Multiple HPV infections were detected among 7.9 % of participants. Risk factors such as level of education (X2 = 15.897; p = 0.007), age at sexual debut (X2 = 6.916; p = 0.009), parity (X2 = 23.767; p = 0.000), number of life time sexual partners (X2 = 7.805; p = 0.005), age at first pregnancy (X2 = 10.554; p = 0.005) and history of other malignancies (X2 = 7.325; p = 0.007) were found to have a statistically significant association with HPV infection.ConclusionThis study identified a high burden of HPV infection in Northern Nigeria while also confirming HPV 18 and 16 as the most predominant genotypes. It further justifies the potential benefit of the currently available HPV vaccines in the area. A larger and community based study is however recommended for better representation of the area.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13027-015-0035-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

IntroductionPersistent high-risk HPV (hrHPV) infection is higher among women living with HIV/AIDS thus increasing their risk for cervical cancer. We evaluated the virological and immunological correlates of cervical dysplasia in HIV-infected women.MethodsA cohort of 220 consenting women attending the antiretroviral clinic of the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, Nigeria was tested for cervical human papilloma virus (HPV) infection using PCR. The prevalent HPV genotypes were determined by DNA sequencing. CD4+T count and type specific HPV was correlated with cervical cytology. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of the data was done using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20 (SPSS Inc, Illinois, USA) for analysis after validationResultsOverall HPV prevalence was 54.1% while the hrHPV prevalence was 35.9%. Premalignant and malignant lesions were observed among participants with CD4+T counts between 200-300/mm3. A statistically significant association was observed between cervical premalignant lesions and CD4+ count (X2=24.747, P value=0.001) as well as hrHPV infections (X2=46.800, P<0.001).ConclusionRisk stratification with HPV screening among HIV-infected women will help in early case management of cervical precancerous lesions.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major clinical challenge globally. It is mainly a consequence of inappropriate prescribing and use of antibiotics. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) ensures that antibiotics are prescribed and used appropriately. This study assessed AMS practice in selected Nigerian hospitals.Methodology: This was a cross sectional survey of 20 Federal, State and Private tertiary hospitals randomly selected from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Using an adapted WHO tool on AMS, data were collected from each hospital as regard the existence of AMS committee, Accountability and Responsibility, AMS actions, Education and Training, Monitoring and Evaluation, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice, facilities to support AMS, and challenges to AMS implementation. Gaps and challenges to the implementation of the AMS among the hospitals were identified.Results: Only 6 (30%) of the 20 hospitals had AMS committees while 2 (10%) had any evidence of leadership commitment to AMS. All the hospitals had laboratory facilities to support culture and sensitivity testing. There were no regular AMS-related education or training, monitoring, evaluation or reporting activities in the hospitals, except in 7 (25%) that had participated in the global point prevalence survey (Global-PPS) of antimicrobial use and resistance being hosted by the University of Antwerp, Belgium. Challenges impeding AMS activities included lack of human and financial resources, prescribers’ opposition, lack of awareness and absence of AMS committees. Most of the gaps and challenges bordered on seeming lack of knowledge and inadequate communication among prescribers and other stakeholders.Conclusion: There is need for intense education and training activities for prescribers and other stakeholders, including but not limited to hospital administrators. Keywords: Survey, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antimicrobial Resistance; Nigeria   French title: Mise en œuvre de la gestion des antimicrobiens dans les hôpitaux Nigérians: lacunes et défis Contexte: La résistance aux antimicrobiens (RAM) est un défi clinique majeur à l'échelle mondiale. C'estprincipalement une conséquence d'une prescription et d'une utilisation inappropriées d'antibiotiques. La gestion des antimicrobiens (AMS) garantit que les antibiotiques sont prescrits et utilisés de manière appropriée. Cette étude a évalué la pratique de l'AMS dans certains hôpitaux Nigérians. Méthodologie: Il s'agissait d'une enquête transversale de 20 hôpitaux tertiaires fédéraux, d'État et privéssélectionnés au hasard dans les six zones géopolitiques du Nigéria. À l'aide d'un outil OMS adapté sur l'AMS, des données ont été collectées auprès de chaque hôpital en ce qui concerne l'existence d'un comité AMS, la responsabilité et la responsabilité, les actions AMS, l'éducation et la formation, le suivi et l'évaluation, la  pratique de prévention et de contrôle des infections (IPC), les installations pour soutenir l'AMS. et les défis de la mise en œuvre de l'AMS. Les lacunes et les défis liés à la mise en œuvre de l'AMS parmi les hôpitaux ont été identifiés. Résultats: Seuls 6 (30%) des 20 hôpitaux avaient des comités AMS tandis que 2 (10%) avaient des preuves d'engagement du leadership envers l'AMS. Tous les hôpitaux disposaient d'installations de laboratoire pour soutenir la culture et les tests de sensibilité. Il n'y avait pas d'activités régulières d'éducation ou de formation, de suivi, d'évaluation ou de rapportage liées à la MGS dans les hôpitaux, sauf dans 7 (25%) qui avaient participé à l'enquête mondiale sur la prévalence ponctuelle (Global-PPS) de l'utilisation et de la résistance aux  antimicrobiens organisée par l'Université d'Anvers, Belgique. Les défis entravant les activités de l'AMS  comprenaient le manque de ressources humaines et financières, l'opposition des prescripteurs, le manque de sensibilisation et l'absence de comités AMS. La plupart des lacunes et des défis se limitaient à un manque apparent de connaissances et à une communication inadéquate entre les prescripteurs et les autres intervenants.Conclusion: Des activités d'éducation et de formation intensives sont nécessaires pour les prescripteurs et autres intervenants, y compris, mais sans s'y limiter, les administrateurs d'hôpitaux. Mots clés: enquête, gestion des antimicrobiens, résistance aux antimicrobiens; Nigeria  

Background: Pseudomonas species are responsible for different healthcare-associated infections and are inherently resistant to many commonly used antibiotics. Hospital antibiograms are either absent or not regularly available in most healthcare facilities in Nigeria. The objective of this study is to present the antibiogram of Pseudomonas isolates in Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe (FTHG) in order to guide antibiotic prescription for better patient safety in the hospital.Methodology: The is a hospital-based cross-sectional study. A total of 4309 bacterial isolates were recovered from aerobic cultures of routine clinical specimens including urine, sputum, blood, swabs, aspirates, biopsies, seminal fluids and cerebrospinal fluids at the Medical Microbiology laboratory of the hospital between January and December 2019. Pseudomonas species were identified by colony morphology, Gram-reaction and conventional biochemical tests. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed on each Pseudomonas isolate using the modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method on Mueller-Hinton agar and results interpreted according to the guideline of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSSTM) software version 23.0.Results: Of the total 4309 bacterial isolates, 436 (10.1%) Pseudomonas species were identified, with majority (49.8%) from urine specimens. Antibiotic susceptibility test results revealed average susceptibility rates of 73.8%, 70.1%, 66.2%, 59.5%, and 34.3% to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, levofloxacin ceftazidime, and carbenicillin respectively. These rates fluctuate only slightly for each of the antibiotic during the 12 months period of survey.Conclusion: Pseudomonas species were most sensitive to ciprofloxacin and gentamicin among the first line antibiotics in FTHG in 2019. Regular updates and presentation of hospital antibiogram especially for intrinsically resistant bacteria such as Pseudomonas involved in healthcare associated infections, is an important tool in combating antimicrobial resistance and ensuring patient safety. Keywords: antibiogram, Pseudomonas, antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial stewardship, patient safety

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Background: Empirical use of antibiotics is a standard practice in the treatment of infections worldwide. However, its over utilization without subsequent culture and antibiotic susceptibility testing could be a major driver of resistance.Over reliance on empirical antibiotherapy is common in most developing countries where antibiotic policies and availability or utilization of clinical microbiology laboratory are suboptimal. A standardized approach to point prevalence survey (PPS) on antimicrobial use (AMU) in hospitals was employed to assess the antimicrobial prescribing practices in Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe (FTHG), Nigeria.Methodology: A PPS was conducted in April 2019 at FTHG by recruiting all in-patients present in the hospital on the day of survey. Data obtained from patients’ records included details of the type and indication for antibiotherapy. A customized online application developed by the University of Antwerp (www.global-pps.be) was used for data-entry, validation, analysis and reporting.Results: Of the total 326 patients who were on admission on the day of survey, 70.6% and 73.4% were on at least one antibiotic in adult and paediatric wards respectively. Most commonly used antibiotics include beta lactams such as cephalosporins (29.2%) and penicillins (22.8%), fluoroquinolones (12.4%), aminoglycosides (9.1%) and macrolides (3.4%). Among patients on antibiotics, route of  administration was mainly parenteral (71.6%) while 44.8% were on more than one antibiotic. Overall, 91.3% of the antibiotic treatments were empirical with adults, children and neonates accounting for 96.4%, 77.6% and 100.0% respectively. Empirical antibiotic use is also high in medical wards (86.3%), surgical wards (89.9%) and intensive care unit (100.0%).Conclusion: There is predominance and over-reliance on empirical antibiotherapy in our hospital. It further exposes the poor utilization of clinical microbiology laboratory and the potential for development of antibiotic resistance with resultant increase in morbidity/mortality and poor patient safety. There is need for further studies to highlight the dangers of over-reliance on empirical antibiotherapy and herald improvement in development and implementation of antibiotic stewardship programme. Keywords: Empirical antibiotherapy, antimicrobial resistance, point prevalence survey, antimicrobial stewardship   French title:L'antibiothérapie empirique comme moteur potentiel de la résistance aux antibiotiques: observations d'une enquêteponctuelle de prévalence de la consommation et de la résistance aux antibiotiques à Gombe, au Nigéria   Contexte: L'utilisation empirique d'antibiotiques est une pratique courante dans le traitement des infections dans le monde entier. Cependant, sa surutilisation sans culture ultérieure ni test de sensibilité aux antibiotiques pourrait être un facteur majeur de résistance. Le recours excessif à l'antibiothérapie empirique est courant dans la plupart des pays en développement où les politiques d'antibiotiques et la disponibilité ou l'utilisation du laboratoire de microbiologie clinique sont sous-optimales. Une approche standardisée de l'enquête de prévalence ponctuelle (PPS) sur l'utilisation des antimicrobiens (AMU) dans les hôpitaux a été utilisée pour évaluer les pratiques de prescription d'antimicrobiens au Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe (FTHG), au Nigéria.Méthodologie: Un PPS a été réalisé en avril 2019 au FTHG en recrutant tous les patients hospitalisés présents à l'hôpital le jour de l'enquête. Les données obtenues à partir des dossiers des patients comprenaient des détails sur le type et l’indication de  l’antibiothérapie. Une application en ligne personnalisée développée par l'Université d'Anvers (www.global-pps.be) a été utilisée pour la saisie, la validation, l'analyse et le reporting des données.Résultats: Sur les 326 patients au total qui étaient admis le jour de l'enquête, 70,6% et 73,4% prenaient au moins un antibiotique dans les services pour adultes et pédiatriques respectivement. Les antibiotiques les plus couramment utilisés comprennent les bêta-lactamines telles que les céphalosporines (29,2%) et les pénicillines (22,8%), les fluoroquinolones (12,4%), les aminosides (9,1%) et les macrolides (3,4%). Parmi les patients’ sous antibiotiques, la voie d'administration était principalement parentérale (71,6%) tandis que 44,8% prenaient plus d'un antibiotique. Dans l'ensemble, 91,3% des traitements antibiotiques étaient empiriques, les adultes, les enfants et les nouveau-nés représentant respectivement 96,4%, 77,6% et 100,0%. L'utilisation empirique d'antibiotiques est également élevée dans les services médicaux (86,3%), les services chirurgicaux (89,9%) et les unités de soins intensifs (100,0%).Conclusion: Il y a une prédominance et une dépendance excessive à l'antibiothérapie empirique dans notre hôpital. Il expose en outre la mauvaie utilisation du laboratoire de microbiologie clinique et le potentiel de développement d'une résistance aux antibiotiques avec une augmentation résultante de la morbidité/mortalité et une mauvaise sécurité des patients. Des études supplémentaires sont nécessaires pour mettre en évidence les dangers d'une dépendance excessive à l'antibiothérapie empirique et annoncer une amélioration dans le développement et la mise en œuvre d'un programme de gestion des antibiotiques. Mots clés: antibiothérapie empirique, résistance aux antimicrobiens, enquête ponctuelle de prévalence, gestion des antimicrobiens  

Introduction: Automated blood culture systems for incubation and growth monitoring have become the standard in high-income countries (HICs), but are still relatively expensive and not universally available for implementation in most low-and middle-income countries (LMIC). We aimed to report blood culture isolates using Automated technique in children and adults admitted into the Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe from 2016 to 2020. Materials and Methods: Blood Culture Isolates in children (0 -18 years) and adults (>19 yrs) by Bactec 9050 Automated culture system from 2016-2020 were retrieved from the medical and laboratory register. Information analyzed included, age, sex, month, and year and culture growth and reported antibiotic sensitivity. A Bactec Blood culture tests is $20 in this facility. In Nigeria, the minimum monthly wage is $70 (Official currency exchange rate is N423/US Dollar). Results: Of the 1713 blood cultures performed, children 0 -18 years were 1322 (77.2%) and adult (19 years above) (22.8%). Overall positivity was 733 (42.2%) with males 385 (52.5%). Of the 1322 Blood cultures (BC) in children 615 (46.5%) were positive for isolates and adults 118 (30.2)%. Blood culture positivity decreased with increasing age with newborns 251 (34.5%) and adults > 65 years 18 (2.5%). Staphylococcus aureus constituted 61.3% of all isolates and was the leading isolates in all age groups; Alkaligenes (9.

Background/Aim: Blood culture is critical in the diagnosis and treatment of blood stream infections (BSIs) especially in children. BSIs are among the most common cause of morbidity/mortality and blood culture has remained the gold standard for diagnosis. We sought to compare Blood Culture Isolates