ABSTRACT
Scedosporium species are an emerging opportunist group of fungi that have been found to cause infections in both immunocompetent and non-immunocompetent individuals. The infections are not regularly distributed among different countries of the world either because of improper identification or other geographical reasons. Strange as it may, disseminated systemic infections have only been reported in some specific countries. We used a mouse model of disseminated infection to assess if strains from Nigeria were virulent and compared it to a few other strains from other countries. S. apiospermum isolated from Nigeria were clearly less virulent than those obtained elsewhere. This may be the reason why this group of fungi has not been associated with specific clinical problems in Nigeria in pa'rticular and Africa in general.
Subject(s)
Animals , Male , Mice , Mycetoma/microbiology , Scedosporium/pathogenicity , Disease Models, Animal , Nigeria , Time Factors , VirulenceABSTRACT
Diarrhoeal diseases are one of the most important causes of illness and death all over the world. In Nigeria, the aetiology of diarrhoeagenic bacteria and the virulence of various Escherichia coli pathotypes have not been well-studied because most currently-published data were from the southwestern axis of the country. In total, 520 stool samples were collected from infants, young children, and other age-groups with acute diarrhoeal diseases in Enugu and Onitsha, southeastern Nigeria. Stool samples were collected from 250 apparently-healthy individuals, with similar age distribution and locality, who were considered control subjects. The stool samples were screened for diarrhea-causing bacterial agents. E. coli strains were isolated from both the groups and were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for 16 virulence genes. Of the 520 stool samples in the diarrhoea group, 119 (44.74%) were E. coli. Fifty (49.02%) were enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), 22 (21.57%) were enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) while 7.84% was enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC). Sex had no effect on the distribution of diarrhoeagenic bacteria, except for EIEC. The E. coli strains isolated from the diarrhoea and healthy asymptomatic age-matched control groups examined by PCR for 16 virulence genes indicate that the detection of EAEC, ETEC, EPEC, and EIEC was significantly associated with diarrhoea (p=0.0002). The study confirmed that several bacterial pathogens, such as E. coli, play an important role in the aetiology of acute diarrhoea in southeastern Nigeria. A routine surveillance, especially for diarrhoeagenic E. coli, would be useful in identifying outbreaks and help identify the potential reservoirs and transmission routes.
ABSTRACT
The antifungal activities of itraconazole, ketoconazole, fluconazole, terbinafine and griseofulvin were tested by broth microdilution methods against 71 isolates of dermatophytes isolated from Nigerian children. Most drugs were very active against all the dermatophytes and the MIC 90 ranged from 0.03 to 8.0 µg/mL. This appears to be the first documented data on the antifungal susceptibility testing of isolates of dermatophytes from Nigerian children.
Atividades antifúngicas de itraconazole, ketoconazole, fluconazole, terbinafine e griseofulvina foram testadas por métodos de microdiluição em caldo contra 71 isolados de dermatófitos de crianças nigerianas. A maioria das drogas foi muito ativa contra todos os dermatófitos e o MIC 90 variou de 0,03 a 8,0 µg/mL. Estes parecem ser os primeiros dados documentados sobre os testes de susceptibilidade antifúngica de isolados de dermatófitos de crianças nigerianas.