COVID-19 in children aged 0-15 years seen at Amirou Boubacar Diallo National Hospital in Niamey, Niger, 2020-2021

Background: In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic affected all age groups. Although COVID-19 is generally benign in children, a diagnostic problem may arise due to clinical similarities with certain pathologies such as malaria, dengue fever and influenza. The objective of this study is to describe the epidemiological profile of COVID 19 in children seen at consultation and to determine the prevalence of influenza, malaria and dengue fever as differential diagnoses. Methodology: We conducted a prospective cohort analytical study from October 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021 in COVID-19 suspected children aged 0 to 15 years admitted to the pediatrics department at the hospital. We used EPI INFO 7.2.4. software for data entry and analysis. Frequencies and proportions were calculated. Results: A total of 570 suspected cases of COVID-19 were enrolled. Of the suspected cases, 53.2% were males and 46.9% were females, with a M/F ratio of 1.13. The median age was 2 years (IQR: 1- 3 years), with age range of 0 to 15 years, and 68,8% in the age range 1 to 5 years. Exposure factors were travel (3.7%), contact with a suspected case of COVID-19 (1.0%), while only 2.6 % (15/570) of suspected cases were confirmed positive for COVID-19. The median age of COVID-19 confirmed children was 2.7 years (IQR 0.33-5). There were more male positive cases, with a M/F ratio of 2. Fever (100%) and cough (53.3%) were the predominant symptoms. The prevalence of malaria, Dengue fever and influenza among suspected COVID-19 cases were 16.8%, 0% and 54.7% respectively, while the respective prevalence in COVID-19 confirmed cases were 66.7%, 0% and 33.3% Conclusion: COVID-19 should be investigated in children presenting with symptoms and signs of malaria, influenza or Dengue fever.

Molecular detection of antimicrobial resistance genes in multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria isolated from clinical samples in two hospitals in Niger

Background: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a global public health challenge, which is also developing in Niger. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in Gram-negative bacilli isolated from clinical samples in the biological laboratories of two selected health facilities in Niger. Methodology: Clinical bacterial isolates were randomly collected from two biological laboratories of Zinder National Hospital and Niamey General Reference Hospital. These were multi-resistant Gram-negative bacteria that have been routinely isolated from pathological samples of patients. Molecular detection of resistance genes was carried out by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification using specific primers. These include plasmid-mediated AmpC beta lactamase genes (blaCITM, blaDHAM, blaFOXM), 'Cefotaxime-Munich' type beta lactamase genes (blaCTX-M-1, blaCTX-M-2, blaCTX-M-9), KPC-type beta lactamase gene (blaKPC), Oxa-type beta lactamase gene (blaOXA-48), SHV-type beta lactamase gene (blaSHV), TEM-type beta lactamase gene (blaTEM), quinolone resistance genes (qnrA, qnrB, qnrS), and sulfonamide resistance genes (sul1, sul2, sul3). Results: A total of 24 strains of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria isolated from different clinical samples were analysed. The distribution of the resistance genes detected is as follows; AmpC blaCITM (n=6; 25.0%), AmpC blaDHAM (n=4; 17.0%), AmpC blaFOXM (n=0), blaCTX-M-1 (n=11; 46.0%), blaCTX-M-2 (n=0), blaCTX-M-9 (n=0), blaKPC (n=0), blaOXA-48 (n=2; 8..0%), blaSHV (n=5; 21.0%), blaTEM (n=0), qnrA (n=0), qnrB (n=5; 21.0%), qnrS (n=17; 71.0%), sul1 (n=22; 92.0%), sul2 (n=12; 50.0%), and sul3 (n=0). All isolates tested had at least two resistance genes. Conclusion: The results of this study provide a better understanding of the resistance situation of clinical isolates in Niger. Therefore, it is more than necessary to intensify the detection on a larger number of samples and on a national scale. This will make it possible to assess the true extent of the phenomenon and consequently guide control strategies through a national multisectoral plan.

Déterminants communes et différents de l'utilisation des services de planification familiale dans trois communes à faible prévalence contraceptive du Burkina Faso, du Mali et du Niger / NA

Cet article intitulé«Déterminants communs et différents de l'utilisation des services de Planification Familiale danstrois communes à faible prévalence contraceptive du Burkina Faso, du Mali et du Nigeresttiré des résultats d'une étude transversale quantitative,menée par un consortium de trois instituts de recherche à savoir, le Centre Muraz au Burkina Faso,l'Institut Nationalde Santé publique au Mali etl'Initiative OASIS au Niger. L'étude a concerné 660 ménages, 790 femmes et 520 hommes. La collecte des données a été effectuée à l'aide d'un questionnairesemi-directif. Nous avons fait à une analyse descriptive uni-variée et bi-variée en utilisant le test de Khi-deux au seuil de 5%.Les déterminants identifiés étaient entre autres: le niveau descolarisation du chef de ménage, le statut matrimonial, l'occupation et l'autonomie reproductive de la femme et enfin sa connaissance des méthodes contraceptives modernes.

This article entitled "Common and different determinants of the use of Family Planning services in three communes with low contraceptive prevalence in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger is drawn from the results of a quantitative cross-sectional study, conductedby a consortium of three research institutes namely, the Muraz Center in Burkina Faso, the National Institute of Public Health in Mali,and the OASIS Initiative in Niger. The study involved 660 households, 790 women and 520 men. Data collection was carried out using a semi-structured questionnaire. We carried out a univariate and bivariate descriptive analysis using the Chi-square test at the 5% threshold.The determinants , among others: the level of education of the head of , the , the occupation,and reproductive autonomy of the woman and finally her knowledge of modern contraceptive methods.

Clinical presentation and fungal species distribution in otomycosis in a tertiary care hospital

Objective: Otomycosis is a common fungal ear infection in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. This study aimed to perform mycological analysis on fungal debris from the external auditory canals of the patients to study the most common clinical presentation and fungal species distribution in otomycosis. Materials and Methods: Patients who met the inclusion criteria for this cross-sectional study were included and evaluated after providing written informed consent. After obtaining a thorough medical history, ear swabs for culture, sensitivity, and potassium hydroxide were provided. Patients with positive culture results were studied between September 2019 and March 2021. Results: Among 103 cases observed for 18 months in the Department of ENT, Rajarajeswari Medical College, and Hospital, Bengaluru, India, we found that males (56.31%) were more affected than females (43.68%). Itching (67.96%) was the most primary and common symptom that was observed, followed by pain (20.38%), and the most common predisposing factor was the usage of earbuds (26.21%) followed by water in the ear (23.3%) and oil in the ear (16.50%). Unilateral infection was most common (96%), and the left ear was most affected (64.07%). Aspergillus niger was the most common fungal isolate (60.19%), and otomycosis was very common in postmonsoon (October–December) (58.25%). Conclusion: The most frequent fungal isolates in otomycosis are from the Aspergillus and Candida species. The left ear was typically affected by otomycosis, which frequently had a unilateral predominance. The most common clinical symptoms were itching and pain.

Expression of β-glucosidase An-bgl3 from Aspergillus niger for conversion of scopolin / 生物工程学报

Scopoletin is a coumarin compound with various biological activities including detumescence and analgesic, insecticidal, antibacterial and acaricidal effects. However, interference with scopolin and other components often leads to difficulties in purification of scopoletin with low extraction rates from plant resource. In this paper, heterologous expression of the gene encoding β-glucosidase An-bgl3 derived from Aspergillus niger were carried out. The expression product was purified and characterized with further structure-activity relationship between it and β-glucosidase analyzed. Subsequently, its ability for transforming scopolin from plant extract was studied. The results showed that the specific activity of the purified β-glucosidase An-bgl3 was 15.22 IU/mg, the apparent molecular weight was about 120 kDa. The optimum reaction temperature and pH were 55 ℃ and 4.0, respectively. Moreover, 10 mmol/L metal ions Fe2+ and Mn2+ increased the enzyme activity by 1.74-fold and 1.20-fold, respectively. A 10 mmol/L solution containing Tween-20, Tween-80 and Triton X-100 all inhibited the enzyme activity by 30%. The enzyme showed affinity towards scopolin and tolerated 10% methanol and 10% ethanol solution, respectively. The enzyme specifically hydrolyzed scopolin into scopoletin from the extract of Erycibe obtusifolia Benth with a 47.8% increase of scopoletin. This demonstrated that the β-glucosidase An-bgl3 from A. niger shows specificity on scopolin with good activities, thus providing an alternative method for increasing the extraction efficiency of scopoletin from plant material.

Expression of β-xylosidase An-xyl from Aspergillus niger and characterization of its xylose tolerance / 生物工程学报

The hydrolysis of xylo-oligosaccharides catalyzed by β-xylosidase plays an important role in the degradation of lignocellulose. However, the enzyme is easily inhibited by its catalytic product xylose, which severely limits its application. Based on molecular docking, this paper studied the xylose affinity of Aspergillus niger β-xylosidase An-xyl, which was significantly differentially expressed in the fermentation medium of tea stalks, through cloning, expression and characterization. The synergistic degradation effect of this enzyme and cellulase on lignocellulose in tea stems was investigated. Molecular docking showed that the affinity of An-xyl to xylose was lower than that of Aspergillus oryzae β-xylosidase with poor xylose tolerance. The Ki value of xylose inhibition constant of recombinant-expressed An-xyl was 433.2 mmol/L, higher than that of most β-xylosidases of the GH3 family. The Km and Vmax towards pNPX were 3.6 mmol/L and 10 000 μmol/(min·mL), respectively. The optimum temperature of An-xyl was 65 ℃, the optimum pH was 4.0, 61% of the An-xyl activity could be retained upon treatment at 65 ℃ for 300 min, and 80% of the An-xyl activity could be retained upon treatment at pH 2.0-8.0 for 24 h. The hydrolysis of tea stem by An-xyl and cellulase produced 19.3% and 38.6% higher reducing sugar content at 2 h and 4 h, respectively, than that of using cellulase alone. This study showed that the An-xyl mined from differential expression exhibited high xylose tolerance and higher catalytic activity and stability, and could hydrolyze tea stem lignocellulose synergistically, which enriched the resource of β-xylosidase with high xylose tolerance, thus may facilitate the advanced experimental research and its application.

Screening and promoting effect of grow-promoting fungi in rhizosphere of Angelica dahurica var. formosana / 中国中药杂志

Excessive application of chemical fertilizer has caused many problems in Angelica dahurica var. formosana planting, such as yield decline and quality degradation. In order to promote the green cultivation mode of A. dahurica var. formosana and explore rhizosphere fungus resources, the rhizosphere fungi with nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization, potassium solubilization, iron-producing carrier, and IAA-producing properties were isolated and screened in the rhizosphere of A. dahurica var. formosana from the genuine and non-genuine areas, respectively. The strains were identified comprehensively in light of the morphological characteristics and ITS rDNA sequences, and the growth-promoting effect of the screened strains was verified by pot experiment. The results showed that 37 strains of growth-promoting fungi were isolated and screened from the rhizosphere of A. dahurica var. formosana, mostly belonging to Fusarium. The cultured rhizosphere growth-promoting fungi of A. dahurica var. formosana were more abundant and diverse in the genuine producing areas than in the non-genuine producing areas. Among all strains, Aspergillus niger ZJ-17 had the strongest growth promotion potential. Under the condition of no fertilization outdoors, ZJ-17 inoculation significantly promoted the growth, yield, and accumulation of effective components of A. dahurica var. formosana planted in the soil of genuine and non-genuine producing areas, with yield increases of 73.59% and 37.84%, respectively. To a certain extent, it alleviated the restriction without additional fertilization on the growth of A. dahurica var. formosana. Therefore, A. niger ZJ-17 has great application prospects in increasing yield and quality of A. dahurica var. formosana and reducing fertilizer application and can be actually applied in promoting the growth of A. dahurica var. formosana and producing biofertilizer.

Evaluation of Lipid Profile and Some Renal Parameters in Some Selected Ethnic Population with Fat-mass and Obesity-associated Gene (FTO) Variants in Niger Delta, Nigeria

Aim: To evaluate lipid profile and some renal parameters in some selected ethnic population with fat-mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) variants in Niger Delta, Nigeria. Study Design: Case-controlled observational study. Place and Duration of Study: Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Delta State and Safety Molecular Pathology Laboratory, Enugu, Nigeria, between March 2020 and February 2022. Methodology: Changes in lipid profile and some renal parameters in FTO gene was studied in ninety-eight (98) type 2 diabetes (T2D) subjects (78 cases and 20 controls) from four different tribes in the Niger Delta region, Nigeria. Multistage sampling method was employed in the subject selection. The subjects were first separated into two groups – new cases (less than a year of diagnosis as Diabetic) and old cases (one year & above). Equal number of samples was then randomly collected from each of the cluster groups. 10mls of blood was collected into plain bottles for the assay of the above-named markers, and were assayed using spectrophotometric and ELISA methods. The data were analyzed using GraphPad Prism, version 8.0.2 and p values less than .05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The results showed that the Ijaw tribe had the highest mean total cholesterol (TCHOL), low density lipoproteins (LDL), Castelli Risk Ratio (CRR), atherogenic coefficient (AC) values (5.36 ± 0.99, 3.36 ± 0.87 mmol/l,3.76 ± 1.18 and 2.86 ± 1.16) respectively, which were significantly higher (P<.05) than those of the control group, while the Urhobo tribe had the highest mean TG and AIP values (1.47 ± 0.51 mmo/l and 0.08 ± 0.01), The control subjects had the highest mean HDL values (1.51 ± 0.49mmo/l), which were significantly higher(P<.05) than that of the control subjects. Mean creatinine level was highest in the control group (101.1 ± 21.24 µmol/L), while the Urhobo tribe had the highest mean MDRD levels (94.15 ±36.17 ml/min). Special diets did not contribute to any significant difference in the biochemical indices of the subjects apart from significant changes in the levels of triglyceride. Conclusion: From the results, we conclude that the levels of lipid profile varied with the tribe for subjects with FTO variants and control subjects and only triglyceride levels are affected by specific diets.

Environmental Effect of KPO-Fire in Niger Delta and Future Health Implication

Crude oil discovery and exploration in the Niger Delta of Nigeria which includes Delta, Bayelsa, Abia, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa-Ibom, Imo, Edo and Ondo States of Nigeria, has led to significant economic growth of the nation especially in the creation of job opportunities also the generation of revenue. Unfortunately, Oil thefts have become the idea that replaced the most crisis and agitations in the Niger Delta communities against the perceived neglect of the areas. This had resulted to widespread operation of illegal oil bunkering activities called Kpofire. Kpofire, as described by the Niger deltans, is a process of burning crude oil by illegal oil operatives or thieves at isolated locations called bunkering sites or dumpsites in order to extract refined petroleum products. The design for the extraction of the petroleum products involves the sections of steaming and collection. These sections are connected by a very long pipe. Heat is applied to the steaming section using wood from the mangroves that is called ‘Ngala’ or ‘Agala’, thereafter, crude oil is used. The products extracted are fuel, kerosene and diesel. One of the major problems of Kpofire is the introduction of soot into the environment. Soot is a product is uncontrolled and incomplete combustion or pyrolisis of materials that contain carbon. The highest constituent of soot is the Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). The Niger Delta people are faced with daily environmental challenges such as inadequate housing facilities, contaminated drinking water sources, barren lands for agriculture, dead rivers for fishing activities and poor health conditions, soot, which has become a gradual but huge challenge in many Niger Delta communities, has been shown to play a huge role in respiratory, skin, and reproductive health conditions. However, vulnerability is seen more in babies and children (particularly because their respiratory organs are not matured enough), the elderly, and people with preexisting health conditions, also heart or lung diseases (such as asthma). High exposure to PAH at prenatal stages is linked to a low IQ and lead to increased behavioral problems in the early-age child and childhood asthma. A collective effort is needed to put a stop this menace called kpofire in order to avoid environmental pollution thereby endangering the health of the people of Niger Delta.

Profil Épidémiologique et Mycologique de l'Otomycose à l'Hôpital Général de Référence de Niamey (Niger) / Epidemiological and my cologica l profile of otomycosisat the Genera l Reference Hospital o f Niamey (Niger

But. Décrire les caractéristiques épidémiologiques et mycologiques de l'otomycose à Niamey. Méthodologie.Il s'est agi d'une étude rétrospective menée sur 3ans au service d'ORL et CCF de l'Hôpital Général de Référence, portant sur les patients chez qui le diagnostic d'otomycose a été posé. Les paramètres étudiés étaient épidémiologiques et mycologiques. Résultats. En 3 ans, nous avons enregistré 447 consultations pour otites dont 56 avaient une otomycose, soit une fréquence de 12,53% de l'ensemble des otites et 58,92% des otites externes. L'âgemoyen était de 35,75 ans (extrêmes de 2 et 70 ans). La tranche d'âge de 31 à 60 ans représentait 58,93% des patients. Nous avons retrouvéune prédominance féminine (67,85%), (p=0,0752). Les principaux facteurs favorisant l'otomycose étaient le nettoyage de l'oreille au coton tige ou à la plume de volaille : (53,57%),le port du turban ou de couvre-chef, (46,42%), la baignade (16.07%), l'étroitesse du conduit auditif externe (8,92%) et le port de prothèse auditive externe intra-conduit (5,35%,). Sur le plan mycologique, le Candida albicanset l'Aspergilus nigeront représenté respectivement 19,44% et 33,33% des espèces fongiques isolées en culture. Conclusion. L'otomycose est une infection fréquente en Orl à Niamey. Le nettoyage de l'oreille au coton tige ou à la plume de volaille venait au premier rang des facteurs favorisant l'otite fongique. L'Aspergilus nigeret le Candida albicansétaient les germes les plus fréquemment isolés.

Profile of multidrug-resistant clinical bacterial isolates at the National Hospital of Zinder (NHZ), Niger Republic in 2021

Background: Today, bacterial resistance is a public health challenge throughout the world, and infections caused by resistant bacteria are associated with increased morbidity, mortality and health care costs. The objective of this descriptive study is to determine the prevalence and distribution of multi-drug resistant (MDR) clinical bacteria isolates at the National Hospital of Zinder, Niger Republic in 2021. Methodology: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study of in- and out-patients from whose clinical samples' bacteria were isolated at the bacteriology unit of the laboratory. Bacteria were isolated from the clinical samples following standard aerobic cultures and identified using conventional biochemical test schemes. Antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) was performed by the agar disk diffusion technique, and categorization of the isolates into sensitive, intermediate or resistant was done according to the recommendations of the Antibiogram Committee of the French Society of Microbiology (CA-SFM) 2020 version 1.2. MDR was defined as resistance to at least one antibiotic in three or more categories, while selected MDR bacteria such as ESBL was identified using double disk synergy test, and MRSA by cefoxitin disk diffusion test. Results: Seventy-seven (6.7%) bacterial species were isolated from 1153 clinical samples processed at the bacteriology unit of the hospital laboratory between June and December 2021, of which 65.0% (50/77) were members of the order Enterobacteriales. Escherichia coli represented 40.3% (40/77) of the isolated bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus 13.0% (10/77) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 11.7% (9/77). The overall prevalence of MDR was 44.2% (34/77), including 61.8% (21/34) ESBL-producing Enterobacteriales (ESBL-E), 26.5% (9/34) multi-resistant P. aeruginosa and 11.7% (4/34) MRSA, with 67.6% (23/34) of the MDR isolates from outpatients. Resistance rates of the Enterobacteriales to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, amikacin and imipenem were 62.0%, 52.0%, 38.0% and 8.0% respectively. Resistance rates of P. aeruginosa were 100.0%, 88.9%, 77.8%, 33.3%, 22.2%, and 22.2% respectively to ceftazidime, ticarcillin, imipenem, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and amikacin. Resistance rates of S. aureus were 100.0%, 50.0%, 40.0%, 10.0%, 0% and 0% to penicillin G,erythromycin, cefoxitin, tetracycline, fusidic acid, and chloramphenicol respectively. ESBL-E were 47.6%,85.7% and 0% resistant to amikacin, ciprofloxacin and imipenem, and MRSA resistance rates were 75.0%, 75.0%, 50.0% and 0% to erythromycin, tetracycline, gentamicin, and chloramphenicol respectively. Conclusion: This study reports high prevalence of MDR bacteria, mainly ESBL-E, with concerning high resistance to carbapenem. Rational use of antibiotics and implementation of surveillance system for MDR bacteria must be implemented in order to limit the emergence and spread of MDR bacteria in Niger Republic.

Implementation and contribution of temperature screening and handwashing practice at points of entry for COVID-19 pandemic response in a humanitarian crisis setting

Introduction: over the last decade, insecurity in the Lake Chad Basin has triggered an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Niger´s Diffa Region with a significant population movement. In this humanitarian setting, we reviewed the implementation process and the contribution of temperature screening and handwashing practice at points of entry as part of non-pharmaceutical interventions against COVID-19. Methods: in Diffa, border officers were trained on the fundamentals of infection prevention and control in relation to COVID-19 readiness and response and a 14-day district response team was constituted. To examine the significance of the implementation process of temperature screening and handwashing practices at points of entry, we conducted a secondary analysis of data submitted by the six health districts of the Diffa Region between March and July 2020. Results: travellers screened for fever ranged from 10,499 (in March 2020) to 62,441 (in April 2020) with the health districts of Diffa (mean: standard error of the mean: 25,999: 9,220) and of Bosso (mean: standard error of the mean: 30.4: 19.1) accounting for the most and the least of activities during the entire period, respectively. Overall, 125/169,475 travellers presented fever and were effectively quarantined. Only the Ngourti Health District reported travellers who declined handwashing (54/169,475); this was during the first three months of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: we have documented a successful implementation of measures related to temperature screening with some unsubstantial denial of handwashing. Given the importance of border traffic due to insecurity in the Diffa Region, maintaining temperature screening and handwashing in this humanitarian setting is necessary but requires coordinated actions of all stakeholders involved in the region.

Methods of plant growth-promoting fungi application to enhance the growth and yield of wheat var. Ibaa99

Aims@#The main aim of the study was to evaluate some methods of application of Aspergillus niger AD1 and Trichoderma hamatum T-113 for enhancing the growth and yield of wheat var. Ibaa99 in pots and field conditions.@*Methodology and results@#Plant growth-promoting fungi (PGPF) loaded with peat moss were used at a rate of 100, 150 and 200 mL pot-1 or m-2 in filed soil; seed treatment (coating) with fungi suspension 19 × 107, soil treatment and combination of all the three methods was employed in the study. Wheat seeds were sown in pots and field plots during 2018-2019, and data regarding various growth and yield attributes were recorded. In both pot and field trials, the results revealed that the best treatments for the desired plant growth and yield attributes were peat moss 150 mL alone or in combination with soil and seed treatments. The soil physicochemical parameters were also improved after inoculation with selected fungal isolates in different application methods compared with un-inoculated control treatment in both pot and field conditions.@*Conclusion, significance and impact of study@#The PGPF play a vital role represented phytoremediation, phytostimulation and bio-fertilization. The isolates of PGPF, which were applied with peat moss at 150 mL to the pot and in the field alone or combined with seed treatment and soil application, were significantly the best effective method for improving wheat attributes.

An efficient marker-free genome editing method for Aspergillus niger / 生物工程学报

Aspergillus niger is an important industrial strain which has been widely used for production of enzymes and organic acids. Genome modification of A. niger is required to further improve its potential for industrial production. CRISPR/Cas9 is a widely used genome editing technique for A. niger, but its application in industrial strains modification is hampered by the need for integration of a selection marker into the genome or low gene editing efficiency. Here we report a highly efficient marker-free genome editing method for A. niger based on CRISPR/Cas9 technique. Firstly, we constructed a co-expression plasmid of sgRNA and Cas9 with a replication initiation region fragment AMA1 (autonomously maintained in Aspergillus) by using 5S rRNA promoter which improved sgRNA expression. Meanwhile, a strain deficient in non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) was developed by knocking out the kusA gene. Finally, we took advantage of the instability of plasmid containing AMA1 fragment to cure the co-expression plasmid containing sgRNA and Cas9 through passaging on non-selective plate. With this method, the efficiency of gene editing reached 100% when using maker-free donor DNA with a short homologous arm of 20 bp. This method may facilitate investigation of gene functions and construction of cell factories for A. niger.

Process optimization for enhanced production of cellulases form locally isolated fungal strain by submerged fermentation

Cellulase has myriad applications in various sectors like pharmaceuticals, textile, detergents, animal feed and bioethanol production, etc. The current study focuses on the isolation, screening and optimization of fungal strain through one factor at a time technique for enhanced cellulase production. In current study sixteen different fungal cultures were isolated and the culture which quantitatively exhibits higher titers of cellulase activity was identified both morphologically and molecularly by 18S rDNA and designated as Aspergillus niger ABT11. Different parameters like fermentation medium, volume, temperature, pH and nutritional components were optimized. The highest CMCase and FPase activities was achieved in 100ml of M5 medium in the presence of 1% lactose and sodium nitrate at 30 oC, pH5 after 72 hours. The result revealed A. niger can be a potential candidate for scale up studies.

Evaluation of the antimicrobial susceptibility testing process in clinical microbiology laboratories at Niamey, Niger

Background: Risk assessment is the means of identifying and evaluating potential errors or problems that may occur in testing process. The aim of this study was to perform risk assessment of antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) process in clinical microbiology laboratories of Niamey, Niger Republic. Methodology: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study from October 1 to December 31, 2019, to evaluate AST performance in seven clinical microbiology laboratories at Niamey, the capital city of Niger republic. The evaluation focused on the determination of the criticality index (CI) of each critical point (frequency of occurrence of anomalies, severity of the process anomaly, and detectability of the anomaly during the process) in the AST process and the performance of the AST through an observation sheet using two reference strains; Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213. Results: The criticality index (CI) was greater than 6 for most of the critical points related to material, medium, equipment, method and labour for the AST process in all the laboratories. A range of 18-100% errors on the inhibition zone diameters of the reference strains were observed. Major and/or minor categorization (Sensitive S, Intermediate I and Resistance R) discrepancies were found at all the laboratories for either one or both reference strains. The antibiotics most affected by the S/I/R discrepancies were trimethoprim (100%), vancomycin (100%), amoxicillin (80%) and amoxicillin + clavulanic acid (70%). Conclusion: This study showed a deficiency in the control of critical control points that impacts the performance of the AST reported by the laboratories in Niger. Corrective actions are needed to improve the performance of AST in clinical microbiology laboratories in Niger

CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing in Aspergillus niger / 生物工程学报

Aspergillus niger is a vital industrial workhouse widely used for the production of organic acids and industrial enzymes. This fungus is a crucial cell factory due to its innate tolerance to a diverse range of abiotic conditions, high production titres, robust growth during industrial scale fermentation, and status as a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) organism. Rapid development of synthetic biology and systems biology not only offer powerful approaches to unveil the molecular mechanisms of A. niger productivity, but also provide more new strategies to construct and optimize the A. niger cell factory. As a new generation of genome editing technology, the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR associated (Cas) system brings a revolutionary breakthrough in targeted genome modification for A. niger. In this review, we focus on current advances to the CRISPR/Cas genome editing toolbox, its application on gene modification and gene expression regulation in this fungal. Moreover, the future directions of CRISPR/Cas genome editing in A. niger are highlighted.

Molecular characterization of phosphate solubilizing fungi Aspergillus niger and its correlation to sustainable agriculture

Aim: The present study aimed to investigate the phosphate solubilization potential of agriculturally important fungi, i.e., Aspergillus sp. isolated from the rhizosphere of healthy plants in Abha city, Saudi Arabia.Methodology: Sixteen Aspergillus sp. isolated and tested for phosphate solubilization potential were identified by 5.8S-ITS region sequencing and characterized by 11 ISSR-PCR markers. Finally, the highest phosphate solubilization potential isolates were used in field experiments on cucumber and tomato plants. Results: All Aspergillus niger isolates showed 96–100% similarity to A. niger strains available at GenBank database, Isolate ASAB-5 was most efficient at solubilizing phosphate on Pikovskaya’s medium, with a solubilization index of 2.67, and 235.22 mg l-1 of solubilized phosphate. ISSR-PCR markers revealed is total 142 bands in all isolates, with about 32.3% showing monomorphism and 67.6% polymorphism. Based on genetic similarity and intraspecies variability, the Aspergillus isolates were grouped into two different clusters with about 67.9% genetic similarity. The results of field experiments showed no significant difference between seeds treated with culture filtrate or conidial suspension of ASAB-5; however, both differed remarkably from untreated seeds. Interpretation: The current study confirms the existence of several useful phosphate solubilizing fungi in plants, which may serve as potential biological fertilizers. They are safer than chemical fertilizers and increase the bioavailability of soil phosphates for plants

Albizia lebbeck fruit pods as a substrate for the production of lignocellulolytic enzymes by Aspergillus niger

Aspergillus niger isolated from the soil was investigated for its capability to produce various lignocellulolyticenzymes, such as LiP, endoglucanase, FPase, xylanase by solid-state fermentation, using Albizia lebbeck fruitpods as a substrate. The chemical composition of the fruit pods was studied, and the production pattern of theenzymes was examined by growing the fungi for 25 days. The LiP activity was low, whereas a good productionof endoglucanase, FPase, and xylanase enzymes was noted. A dye decolorization capacity of the A. niger wasalso studied with Congo red. Therefore, A. lebbeck fruit pods which are considered as waste and burnt off canbe utilized for the production of holocellulolytic enzymes using A. niger.

Adult nephrotic syndrome in the Niger delta sub region: a single centre study at the university of Port Harcourt teaching hospital

Background: Adult nephrotic syndrome is a common cause of chronic kidney disease globally and in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria there are only few studies on adult nephrotic syndrome, mostly from the south-western Nigeria and rarely from the Niger delta sub-region of Nigeria. This study aims at contributing to the National data on adult nephrotic syndrome, from the perspective of the Niger delta sub-region.Methods: Retrospective analysis of five-year clinical data (January 2007 to December 2011) of adult nephrotic syndrome patients in the University of Port Harcourt teaching hospital was conducted.Results: Forty-four patients, representing 1% of medical admissions and 7.3% of adult renal cases were seen during the period, with mean age of 27.7±8.5 years. There were 32 males (72.7%). Mean duration of illness was 25.3±30.3months. Peak age group was the 20-29 year age group, accounting for 52.3% of cases. Hypertension was seen in 45.5%. Mean e-GFR was 73.5±33.8 ml/min/1.73m2 with CKD 1-3 constituting 93.2% of cases. Mean 24-hour urinary protein excretion was 13.6±8.4 grams/day. Protein excretion >10grams/day was observed in 65.8% of the patients. Mean total serum protein, albumin and total cholesterol were 51.4±11.7g/dl, 22.5±9.9 g/dl and 8.1±3.0 mmol/L, respectively. Anemia was common (68%) and histology showed MCGN (52.6%), MCD (21.1%), membranous (15.8%) and FSGS (10.5%). Though response to therapy was generally poor, immunosuppressive therapy showed better outcomes.Conclusions: The prevalence and pattern of adult nephrotic syndrome in the Niger delta sub-region is similar to that in other parts of Nigeria. It is predominantly a disease of young adult males with high prevalence of hypertension, and poor histologic categories.