Prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni-Salmonella coinfection among patients in southern Ethiopia.

Concurrent infection with Schistosoma mansoni and Salmonella species is not uncommon in the endemic area of sub-Saharan Africa, although its prevalence may have regional variations. We discuss such coinfection and associated factors in an Ethiopian context. We assessed the prevalence of S. mansoni and Salmonella coinfections among patients attending two hospitals in southern Ethiopia. A facility-based cross-sectional study was carried out between 1 October and 30 November 2019. In total 271 participants with gastrointestinal complaints were selected through a systematic sampling technique. S. mansoni was detected using direct microscopy and formalin-ether concentration techniques, whereas Salmonella was identified by conventional culture methods and the Widal test. Antibiotic susceptibility test for Salmonella isolates was performed. The prevalence rates of S. mansoni and Salmonella infections were 17.30% and 7.70% respectively. The prevalence of S. mansoni-Salmonella coinfection was 7.7%. Of the factors analysed in connection with coinfection, male sex, age and frequency of exposure to contaminated water bodies were found to be statistically significant. S. mansoni-Salmonella coinfections pose a grave health problem in the study area, especially among children. Our conclusions can be used by the medical community to frame and implement intervention strategies for the management of S. mansoni-Salmonella coinfections.

Effect of polarity shift on the performance of electrocoagulation process for the treatment of produced water.

A novel electrocoagulation (EC) system for the treatment of produced water (PW), with a provision to shift polarity is designed with the aim of reducing the problems resulting from electrode passivation. The enhancement of performance in terms of the rate and completion of the pollutant removal, energy and electrode consumption, sludge formation and ultimately the operating cost has been investigated by performing statistically designed experiments using RSM. The switching mode operation of EC had brought about significant improvement in the oil removal than the conventional mode. The polarity changeover in short span of batch recirculation time (BRT) was found to be more effective. Greater current density (CD) and supporting electrolyte concentration (SC) were found to enable a still lower switchover time (SOT) so that changeover frequency can further be increased. It was possible to remove a maximum of 99% COD and 98% Oil & Grease from a PW sample having initial concentration of 360 mgL-1of oil (1280 mgL- 1COD) at BRT of 15 min, CD of 1.6 Adm-2, SC of 3 gL-1 and SOT of 1 min. The combination of operating variables (BRT- 3 min, CD- 2.14 Adm-2SC- 3 gL-1and SOT- 1.9 min) giving minimum operating cost (0.65 US$/kg COD removed) achieving oil removal (88%) meeting discharge standards was found out by optimizing the RSM models for cost and oil removal. The method can be considered as an effective alternative for treating PW especially in offshore oil basins where time and space are the major constraints.

Prevalence of enteric bacteria and enteroparasites in human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals with diarrhoea attending antiretroviral treatment clinic, Arba Minch General Hospital, southern Ethiopia.

In Ethiopia, only limited data are available regarding the prevalence of enteric bacterial pathogens and enteroparasites in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) -infected individuals with diarrhoea. Hence, this study aims to assess the prevalence of enteric bacteria and enteroparasites, and also the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of bacteria in them. An institution-based cross-sectional study was performed in HIV patients with diarrhoea, who visited the Anti-Retroviral Therapy Clinic of the Arba Minch General Hospital between 1 March and 31 August 2019. Data pertaining to sociodemographic characteristics and other factors were collected using a structured questionnaire. Stool culture is of utmost importance in the case of HIV-infected individuals with diarrhoea. Stool samples were collected and examined for bacterial and parasitic pathogens following standard procedures. The antibiotic susceptibility test was performed as per the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion technique. Data were analysed using SPSS software. A total of 180 individuals were included in the stool collection process. The prevalence rates of enteric bacteria and enteroparasites were 8.3% and 36.1%, respectively. Parasitic infections were more frequent than bacterial infections in these HIV-infected individuals; commonly identified enteroparasites were Giardia lamblia (8.9%) and Cryptosporidium parvum (8.3%). Campylobacter sp. was the most predominant enteric bacterial isolate (4.4%), followed by Salmonella (2.1%) and Shigella (1.1%) species. CD4 counts <200 cells/µL was significantly associated with both bacterial infections (adjusted OR 9.55, 95% CI 1.54-59.3, p 0.015) and parasitic infections (adjusted OR 3.53, 95% CI 1.3-17.9, p 0.03). Multidrug resistance was also detected in 100%, 75% and 60% of Shigella, Campylobacter and Salmonella sp., respectively. We found that enteroparasitic infections were more frequent than bacterial infections. Statistical analysis revealed that CD4 T-cell counts <200 cells/µL, quality of drinking water sources, hand washing habits after toilet and the presence of domestic animals were significantly associated with the prevalence of enteric pathogens.