IntroductionDiarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) are major causes of diarrhoea in Nigeria. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of diarrhoea caused by DEC within the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria.MethodsA total of 730 rectal swabs obtained from 201 children with diarrhoea and 529 healthy controls aged 0-24 months were cultured for the isolation of Escherichia coli. All E. coli isolates were investigated by PCR to determine their pathotype.ResultsA total of 61 DEC strains were recovered at a rate of 18.4% and 2.6% from children with diarrhoea and healthy controls respectively. The DEC strains recovered were Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (34.4%), Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (31.1%), Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli(18.0%), typical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (15.0%) and Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (1.6%). Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli andEnteroinvasive Escherichia coli were recovered only from children suffering from diarrhoea and the overall prevalence of DEC strains was significantly higher among the children with diarrhoea (P < 0.0001). The number of DEC strains obtained during the dry season was significantly higher (P = 0.012) than the number obtained in the rainy season.ConclusionDiarrhoea caused by E. coli in the Nigerian children studied is associated with several diarrhoeagenic pathotypes and a significant proportion of the healthy children were found to harbour EAEC and ETEC strains. These asymptomatic carriers may be regarded as potential transmitters of infection to vulnerable children in the study area.

BackgroundThe upsurge in the demand for bottled water has prompted the interest of many manufacturers in the production of bottled water and very many water bottling companies are therefore involved in its production. These range from large scale multinational companies to medium scale business enterprises, institutional and government business investment companies as well as small scale entrepreneurs. There is however little information on the comparative quality of bottled water brands produced by different classes of water bottling companies in Nigeria. This study was undertaken to determine the bacteriological quality of brands of bottled water available to consumers in Ile-Ife.MethodsForty-three samples of bottled water comprising of three batches each of thirteen bottled water brands and two batches of two brands were purchased and analyzed for total bacterial count, presence of coliform and the presence of other bacterial indicators of drinking water quality.ResultsOnly 67.4% of the water samples representing the products of 10 companies or 66.7% of the brands had heterotrophic counts within the acceptable limits. Coliforms present in 100 ml of water were detected in 26.7% of the bottled water brands. Other indicator organisms detected included Staphylococci isolated from 27.9% of the samples (33.3% of the brands) and specifically Staphylococcus aureus found in four brands constituting 14% of the samples. Pseudomonas strains were consistently detected in consecutive batches of three brands of the water samples.ConclusionsBottled water samples produced by the large scale multinational producers were of acceptable bacteriological quality unlike those produced by most small companies. Significance and Impact of Study: There is need for a greater control of water bottling processes carried out by commercial bottled water producers in Nigeria.

Erythropheleum suaveolens stem bark saponins fractions were investigated for antioxidant and antibacterial activities. In vitro systems such as, 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, reductive potential and inhibition of lipid peroxidation were carried out to determine the antioxidant activities. The antimicrobial activity was determined using the hole-in-plate agar diffusion technique and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of each fraction was determined using the agar dilution method. All the fractions scavenged DPPH radicals but not comparable with ascorbic acid. These fractions also inhibited lipid peroxidation induced with highest percentage inhibition exhibited by 70:30 fraction which compare favourably with tannic acid. The reducing potential decreased with increasing concentration for all the fractions. The result of antibacterial studies revealed that 70:30 fraction inhibited the tested bacteria to a greater extent than the other fractions while the determination of the MIC of each fraction against the organisms showed that 70:30 fraction possessed a broader spectrum of activity against gram positive cocci of medical importance and also inhibited all the gram negative organisms tested. The study indicates saponin fractions of E. suaveolens stem bark to be potential candidates as antioxidant and antimicrobial agents with the 70:30 saponin fractions being the most promising and that these two activities augment each other.

the study examined the knowledge and practice of antibiotic use among students in a university in south western Nigeria. A questionnaire was administered to each of 500 students drawn from all the Departments in the university excluding those from the faculty of Pharmacy, Health Sciences and Department of Microbiology. A response rate of 99.2% was obtained from the respondents. the most commonly used antibiotics were tetracycline and amoxicillin. Antibiotic use for common cold was observed in 32.3% of the respondents while 17.7% used antibiotics for sore throat. Majority of the participants (72.4%) used the same antibiotics as previously prescribed by their doctors to treat their perceived infections while 51.2% kept left over antibiotics with the intention of future use. More than half (55%) of the students stopped taking their antibiotics when they felt better or when the symptoms of their infections appeared to have stopped. the students' rating of their sources of antibiotics and prescription for antibiotics indicated that most of the students do not know the appropriate sources from where to purchase their antibiotics nor do they know the appropriate persons from whom to obtain a prescription for antibiotics. the study showed a high rate of consumption of antibiotics among university undergraduates who mostly obtain their antibiotics without a physician's prescription from unofficial sources and do not complete their course of antibiotic therapy. these students need better education on the appropriate use of antibiotics in order to improve their attitude towards antibiotics.