RESUMO
Background and Objective: Garri is a powdery carbohydrate-based food material of cassava root tubers (Manihot esculenta Crantz) consumed predominantly in West African countries. It can be processed with palm oil rich in carotenoid (Light-yellow) or without palm oil (Creamy-white). In Nigeria, garri is widely acceptable and consumed by both the poor, the middle men or average Nigerian, and also the rich because it serves as a major source of carbohydrate.The study aimed at detecting fungal strains that produce mycotoxins in garri sourced from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.Materials and Methods:A total number of fifty freshly prepared and market displayed-garri samples were collected and processed using standard mycological techniques and Polymerase Chain Reaction from the 23 villages that constitute the LGA.Results:Results showed that the moulds isolated in yellow garri samples in this study were; Aspergillus spp9(37.50%),Cladosporiumspp 5(20.83%),Fusarium spp4(16.67%),Penicillus spp3(12.50%),Rhizopus spp2(8.30%) and Mucor spp1(4.17%),while those isolated in the white garri samples were; Aspergillus spp 6(25%), Penicilliumspp 8(33.3%), Cladosporium spp 4(16.7%), Rhizopus spp 2(8.3%),Mucor spp 1(4.1%), Alternaria spp 2(8.3%) and Fusarium spp 1(4.1%) with predominance of Penicilliumand Asperigellus species. Twenty samples subjected to molecular analysis to determine the Internal Transcribed Spacerregion (ITS) and characterization of the fungal strains were all positive (100%).Conclusion:Fungal contamination on garri mostly results from unhealthy post-processing activity basically from poor packaging and storage. Mycotoxins from fungal strains have serious health implications on humans therefore it is paramount that proper packaging and storage of this product is publicized to reduce its mycological contamination.
RESUMO
Background & objectives: Correct vector identification is an important task in the planning and implementation of malaria vector control programmes. This study was designed to provide baseline information on the species composition and distribution of members of the Anopheles gambiae complex in three eco-vegetational zones in Bayelsa state, Nigeria. Methods: Adult mosquitoes were collected by pyrethrum spray catch (PSC) in randomly selected houses during September 2009–August 2010. Anopheles mosquitoes were identified using standard morphological keys. Mosquitoes identified as An. gambiae s.l. were used for species specific PCR-assays. Results: Out of 203 Anopheles gambiae s.l. successfully amplified, 180 (88.7%) were Anopheles gambiae s.s., 14 (6.9%) were An. melas and 9 (4.4%) were An. arabiensis. The variation in the sibling species composition of An. gambiae s.l. was not significant (p >0.05). Anopheles gambiae s.s. was predominant in all the collections with three sibling species occurring in all the eco-vegetational zones. Interpretation & conclusion: The observation of An. melas in the fresh water swamp forest of Yenagoa is of importance in malaria epidemiology. These findings are of importance in the planning and implementation of malaria vector control strategy in the three eco-vegetational zones of Bayelsa state.