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Aims:The aim of this research work is to estimate the organ dose distribution and the associated radiation induced cancer risk for some commonly performed Computerized Tomography (CT) examinationsin a tertiary medical facility in South Nigeria.Study Design:The study was designed to estimate the radiologicalimplications of radiation dose that the paediatric patients wereexposed to during routine CT examinations.Place and Duration of Study:Department of Radiology, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex, (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, Nigeria, between August 16, 2011 to August 15 2012.Methodology:Well calibrated thermoluminescent dosimeters (LiF-100) were attached to the skin of paediatricpatients such as skull,chest, abdomen, and pelvic in the path of the primary X-ray Original Research Article beam to determine radiation exposure during CT examination. The effective dose was calculated from the equivalent dose obtained from OAUTHC, and the cancer risk associatedwas estimated by multiply age-dependent lifetime cancer mortality risk (per unit dose) with estimated age-dependent doses produced by various CT examinations.Results:Out of 258 paediatric patients scanned the equivalent dose measured for abdominal CT scan ranged from 23.49 -55. 26 mSv; skull CT scan ranged from 10.07 –69.94 mSv and chest CT scan ranged from 8.60 –31.94 mSv. The peak tube voltage (kVp) used range from 80 –140 while the exposure current-time product (mA) range from 30 –300. The abdominal CT scan had the highest cancer risk ranging from digestive 37.5% to lung cancer risk of 0.4%. The risks estimated in this work were higher than the ICRP recommended value. Reducing the millampere-second setting of the equipment for paediatric without significant loss of radiological information will reduce this risk.Conclusion:In this study the estimated cancer risk to paediatric patients undergoing CT is high. This is in keeping with findings in a previous study thus emphasizing the need to standardize and optimize radiation dose in paediatric patients undergoing CT in Nigeria so as to keep cancer risk at the minimum
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Background: Illnesses due to contaminated food, particularly food of animal origin, are perhaps the most widespread health problem in the contemporary world. Aims: To detect Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in food animals in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria and the possible risk to human health. Study Design: Non-repeat faecal samples from various animals and poultry birds were examined for STEC. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Microbiology, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, between January 2010 and December 2011. Methodology: We investigated 722 non-repeat faecal samples from animals and poultry birds for the presence of STEC using bacteriological, serological, and tissue culture techniques. Detection of virulence genes was performed by PCR. Results: Overall, 316 isolates of E. coli were recovered from 62.3% cattle, 19.6% local chicken, 10.1% goats, 4.1% broiler, 2.9% layers, and 0.9% cockerels. Of the non-sorbitol fermenting E. coli phenotype selected from the isolates, 13.3% were presumptively identified as O157 serotype based on inability to ferment sorbitol on sorbitol MacConkey agar (SMAC). Serotyping using commercial kits capable of detecting O157 and non-O157STEC confirmed 6.6% of these as O157 comprising 4.1% from cattle and 2.5% from local chicken. Only 4.7% of the strains were serologically confirmed as non-O157 of which 0.9% was from cattle, 3.2% from goat and 0.6% from local chicken. Verocytotoxicity test and the presence of virulence genes stx1, stx2 and eae assayed by PCR showed the complete absence of virulence genes in the 13 serologically confirmed strains of O157 from cattle. The virulence gene stx1 was detected only in non-O157 strain from goat and local chickens. Conclusion: This study has shown that the prevalence of E. coli O157 is low in food animals in the study area compared to reports from the developed countries. Furthermore, our study is the first to report the isolation of non-O157STEC in goat, a very common domestic animal, in the study area.
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Aims: The implication of Enterococcus faecalis in dental infections is rising and resistance to common antibiotics continues to rise globally as well. In this study, the association of E. faecalis with different forms of dental infections was investigated and the antibiotic resistance profile of the isolates was determined. Place and Duration of Study: The samples were collected from a tertiary health institution in Ekiti State, transferred to the Department of Microbiology, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria and processed immediately. This study was carried out between June, 2009 and March, 2010. Methodology: Oral interview was conducted among the patients in order to collect relevant data while sterile culturette was used to collect the samples after proper diagnoses, plated and incubated appropriately using standard microbiological techniques. The susceptibility of the isolates to commonly and frequently used antibiotics was determined by the disc diffusion method on Müller-Hinton agar. Results: Overall, 46.0% of the subjects had dental infections The subjects with dental infections were 46.60% males and 53.40% females. Students accounted for 58.25% of the total subjects followed by traders with 16.50%. Enterococcus faecalis was isolated from 52.08% of the students, 22.92% traders and 4.17% of the farmers. The highest occurrence (37.86%) of dental infection was recorded among patients within the age bracket 21 and 30 years while dento-aveola abscess (DAA) followed by dental caries (DC) were the predominant dental infections recorded in that order. A total of 46.60% of the dental infections were colonized by E. faecalis that were mostly resistant to amoxicillin (93.90%) and cloxacillin (92.68%). Resistance to the fluoroquinolones tested was relatively low, ranging from 8.54 to 25.61% in spafloxacin and perfloxacin, respectively whilst it was 1.22% to vancomycin among the isolates. Conclusion: The isolates were resistant to common antibiotics tested, however, vancomycin proved to be the most effective in the inhibition of the isolates.
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OBJECTIVE: This is to investigate the implication of fluoroquinolone usage in veterinary practice and the food chain system. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Five hundred isolates of commensal E coli were recovered from the faeces of apparently healthy cattle in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. The susceptibility of the bacteria was tested using standard laboratory procedures. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was carried out to detect the presence of qnrA and qnrB genes, which were selected on the basis of their fluoroquinolone-resistant patterns. RESULTS: The agar disc diffusion technique revealed that the representative isolates showed multiple fluoroquinolone-resistance and this formed the basis for their selection for PCR amplification. The PCR revealed that ten of the 17 quinolone-resistant representative isolates showed distinct bands which are specific for the qnrB gene; in addition, only one strain of the 20 representative isolates of commensal E coli carried plasmids on which the qnrA gene was detected. CONCLUSION: This study has confirmed that plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance is a possible mechanism among the fluoroquinolone-resistant commensal E coli isolated from faeces of apparently healthy cattle in the study location.
OBJETIVO: El propósito de este trabajo es investigar las implicaciones del uso de las fluoroquinolonas en la práctica veterinaria y el sistema de la cadena alimentaría. SUJETOS Y MÉTODOS: Quinientos aislados de E Coli comensales fueron obtenidos de las heces de ganado ostensiblemente sano en Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Se sometió a prueba la susceptibilidad de las bacterias usando los procedimientos de laboratorio normales. Se llevó a cabo una reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (RCP) a fin de detectar la presencia de genes qnrA y qnrB, los cuales fueron seleccionados sobre la base de sus patrones de resistencia a la fluoroquinolona. RESULTADOS: La técnica de difusión con disco en agar reveló que los aislados representativos mostraban resistencia múltiple a la fluoroquinolona, lo cual constituyó la base para su selección a fin de amplificar la RCP. La RCP reveló que 10 de cada 17 asilados representativos de la resistencia a la quinolona, mostraban bandas claramente específicas del gen qnrB. Además, sólo una cepa de 20 aislados representativos de las E Coli portaba plásmidos en los que el gen qnrA fue detectado. CONCLUSIÓN: Este estudio confirmó que la resistencia a la quinolona mediada por plásmidos, es un posible mecanismo entre las E Coli comensales aisladas de la haces del ganado sano en la localidad del estudio.
Subject(s)
Animals , Cattle , Drug Resistance, Bacterial/genetics , Escherichia coli/genetics , Fluoroquinolones/pharmacology , Escherichia coli/drug effects , Nigeria , PlasmidsABSTRACT
The pathogenicity of one Staphylococcus aureus strain HI/F-20 was assessed by infecting normal pathogen-free mice. The bacterium which caused death of mice then use to investigate ocular infection in rat. Eye infection was induced by injecting microorganism transcorneally and through catheterized common carotid artery respectively. Transcorneal infection resulted in reversible changes which were limited to the anterior chamber. These changes could be attributed to traumatization of the ocular tissues. The haematogenous infection made though the catheterized carotid artery resulted in an endophthalmitis with retinochoroidal oedema and hypereamia which were confirmed histologically.