Asymptomatic Giardiasis and Nutritional Status of Children in Two Local Government Areas in Kaduna State; Nigeria

Giardiasis is found throughout the world but more prevalent in developing countries. The present study utilised ELISA coproantigen to determine the prevalence of Giardia lamblia in stool samples of children in day-care centres; nursery and primary schools in two Local Government Areas; Sabon-Gari and Zaria; in Kaduna State; Nigeria. Of 374 samples examined; 150 (41.45) were positive for Giardia lamblia. The prevalence of giardiasis was higher in males (50.3) than females (49.7). There was no significant difference in the level of infection in both sexes (p = 0.808). The highest prevalence of asymptomatic giardiasis was in the age group 3-5 years (32.9) while the lowest was in the 0-2 years (11.6). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of the disease between the age groups (p = 0.414). There was association between asymptomatic giardiasis and wasting (p = 0.030; ANOVA). There was also a positive association between asymptomatic giardiasis and Body Mass Index (p = 0.024; ANOVA) indicating malnutrition. In this study; giardiasis was a predictor of wasting and malnutrition in Sabo-Gari Local Government Area. It is therefore recommended that parents or guardians should provide nutritious meals for school-aged children and treatment of parasitic infections be included in the curriculum of school children

Antimicrobial suseptibility of neisserria gonorrhoeae isolated from patients attending various clinics in Pambeguwa, Kaduna State

Abstract: Antimicrobial resistant strains of gonococcal isolates have spread in many developing countries. In most African countries, the susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae is rarely tested. The antimicrobial susceptibility of one hundred and eight (108) Neisseria gonorrhoeae was therefore determined. Of the 108 isolates tested, 80 (74.07%) were resistant to penicillin, 74 (68.5%) were resistant to ampicillin. The resistance profiles for the remaining antibiotics tested were as follows: Erythromycin (58.3%), Tetracycline (62%) and gentamicin (25.9%). All the isolates were susceptible to ceftriaxone, cefuroxime and ofloxacin. Of the 80 penicillin resistant strains, 65 (81.3%) were penicillinase producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG). The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of Penicillin against 9 gonococcal isolates, Ampicillin against 5 Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates and Tetracycline against 2 gonococcal isolates was 32.0µg/ml. A total of 108 isolates were susceptible to 0.125µg/ml of ceftriaxone, cefuroxime and ofloxacin respectively. The high prevalence of PPNG and multiple drug resistance strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae is associated with self-medication and sexual interaction between commercial sex workers (CSWs) resident in Pambeguwa and the long-distance truck drivers. Antimicrobial susceptibility test should be carried out on every gonococcal isolate obtained to ensure effective therapy. The present study was undertaken to assess the antimicrobial susceptibility of gonococcal isolates recovered from patients in Pambeguwa,Kaduna state, Nigeria

Production of extended spectrum beta-lactamases of urinary isolates of Escherichia coli and Klesiella pneumoniae in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital; Zaria; Nigeria

Multidrug resistant strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli constitute a problem in many hospitals. The antibiotic susceptibility profile and the Production of Extended Spetrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) of the strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli were assessed by the Kirby-Bauer technique and the modified disc diffusion technique respectively. Out of a total of 65 urinary specimens submitted to the Medical Microbiology laboratory at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital; Shika-Zaria; Nigeria; 50 isolates consisting of 33 (66) Escherichia coli and 17 (34) strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae were recovered from patients suspected to have Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs). Of these 50 isolates; 15(30) were ESBL producers; made up of 6/17 (35.3) ESBL-positive Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates and 9/33 (27.3) ESBL-positive E. coli isolates. The susceptibility of the ESBL-positive Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ciprofloxacin; ofloxacin and amikacin were 64.7; 82.4 and 82.4 respectively; while the susceptibility of the ESBL-positive E. coli isolates were: ciprofloxacin (57.6); ofloxacin (48.5) and amikacin (84.8). All (100) of the ESBL-positive E. coli isolates and 3/6 (50) of the ESBL-positive Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates had Multiple Antibiotic Resistance (MAR) index of greater than 0.3 which is an indication that they originated from an environment where antibiotics are frequently used. It is important to determine the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility of ESBL-producing clinical isolates as a guide to clinicians for the chemotherapy and there should be effective infection control policies to curb their spread in the hospital setting