Survey of insects and Mites Associated with Stored Rice in Nigeria

Insect pest infestation causes quantitative or qualitative losses in stored Rice. Proper identification of the insect species infesting stored Rice is critical for making pest management decisions. This study assesses the species composition and abundance of insect pests of stored Rice in Nigeria. Imported and Local Rice samples each weighing one kilogram were obtained every 6 months from three randomly selected vendors in randomly selected markets in 14 towns in 14 states in Nigeria. 50g were weighed from each sample and kept in vials, covered, strapped with rubber band and kept in the laboratory. The Rice samples were sieved to collect all adult insects present after Six months in storage. Sampling lasted for two years (2016-2017). There were 11 species of insect pests and one Mite species in the stored Imported and Local Rice samples. Most of the species were from the order Coleoptera with the percentage occurrence of 80.9% in Imported Rice and 82% in Local Rice. The insect species composition includes Sitophilus oryzae, Cryptolestes ferrugineus, Sitophilus zeamais, Psocids, Sitotroga cerealella, Ahasverus advena, Tribolium castaneum Oryzeaphilus surinamensis, Oryzaephilus mercator and Rhyzopertha dominica. The Psocid and mite species could not be identified. Sitophilus oryzae was the main insect pest of Rice with the percentage occurrence of 39.23% in Imported Rice and 26.87% in Local Rice. The outcome of this study is very important in planning control measures as the knowledge of the species composition and abundance of insect pests is an important component of pest management in stored Rice in Nigeria.

Evaluation of Bacterial Species in Patients with Skin Infection and their Antibiogram

Introduction: The skin is a barrier that limits invasion and growth of pathogenic bacteria. Bacterial species in patients with skin infection and their antibiogram were evaluated for the presence of inhabiting bacteria. Method: The sample obtained with swab sticks were streaked on their respective culture plates containing nutrient agar, MacConkey agar and blood agar, incubated 370 for 24h. The recovered bacteria after incubation were characterized and identified according to standard microbiological criteria. Results: Five bacteria species were isolated which includes Staphylococus aureus; Escherichia coli, Klebsiella specie, Proteus sp and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Staphylococus aureus (33.03%) had the highest percentage occurrence while Proteus Sp (9.17%) had the lowest percentage occurrence. The highest number of isolates were recovered from male patients (61.47%). Age wise the least percentage of isolates were gotten from age group 31-40 (1.83%) while the highest was obtained from those within the age range of 11-20 (40.37%) followed by 1-10 years of age (25.69%). More isolates were recovered from in-patients (68.81%) than from Out-patients (31.19%). The antibiotic sensitivity test showed that Klebsiella sp, Proteus spp and Staphylococcus aureus were sensitivity to all the antibiotics tested while pseudomonas aeruginosa had 30% activity (sensitivity to only 3 drugs) for the antibiotics used in this study. Conclusion: From this study, it can be said that Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp, Proteus sp and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are implicated in the skin infections in humans and their presence if not treated will lead to long term disease in human affected.

Microbiological Assessment of Poultry Droppings, Water and Soil Under Deep Litter (Dl) And Battery Cage (Bl) Systems Within Lagos, Nigeria

This study focuses on the evaluation of the microbiological profile of microbes found in water, soil, droppings, in selected poultry farms under intensive and semi-intensive management system within Lagos, Nigeria. Bacteria and fungi were isolated from poultry droppings, water and soil samples and identified by standard microbiological protocol. The data on the assessment of poultry production system were obtained with structured questionnaire. The bacterial and fungal counts ranged from 29 X 109 CFU/mL - 106 X 109 CFU/mL and 72 X 109 CFU/mL - 115 X 109 CFU/mL respectively. The microorganisms isolated were Streptococcus pluranimalium, Micrococcus sp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella sp., Staphylococcus arlettae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Bacilllus subtilis, Aeromonas hydrophila, Candida tropicalis, Saccharomyces spp, Sporendonema spp., Aspergillus fumigatus, Fusarium oxysporum, Kloeckera spp., Zygosaccharomyces spp and Aspergillus niger. Aspergillus niger (30.5%), Micrococcus sp. (17.6%) and Staphylococcus saprophyticus, (17.6%), occur most frequently while Candida tropicalis (4.6%) and Escherichia coli (5.8%) has the lowest percentage occurrence in poultry droppings. Aspergillus sp. (48.4%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (28.6%) occur most frequently while Penicillium sp. (15.2%), Staphylococcus spp. (7.1%), has the lowest percentage occurrence in poultry soil samples. Fusarium sp. (38.8%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (28.6%), occur most frequently while Aspergillus sp. (7.7%), Staphylococcus spp. (7.1%) has the lowest percentage occurrence in water samples. Most of the isolated bacteria showed resistance to at least two different classes of antibiotics. There is strong evidence that poultry farms in Lagos have utilized many antibiotics and this may have contributed to antibiotic resistant pattern of some bacterial isolates to antibiotics.

Using Dartmoor ponies in conservation grazing to reduce Molinia caerulea dominance and encourage germination of Calluna vulgaris in heathland vegetation on Dartmoor, UK

The increasing dominance of purple moor-grass Molinia caerulea in heathland ecosystems in the UK is of growing concern due to its detrimental impact on plant and animal diversity on sites of nature conservation interest. The use of free-ranging ponies to reduce Molinia dominance was investigated from 2017 to 2019 within a 425 ha site on Dartmoor, UK. Salt blocks were used to attract the ponies to a Molinia-dominated area of heath within the site, away from their previously-preferred grazing areas. The impact of pony grazing was assessed by measurements of vegetation structure and plant species composition. The increased presence of ponies in the vicinity of the salt blocks increased the percentage occurrence of bare ground, reduced sward surface height, reduced percentage occurrence of Molina and increased the germination of heather Calluna vulgaris seedlings. The conclusions of this research are that salt blocks can be used to attract ponies to graze targeted areas of Molinia-dominated heathland. Through their grazing and trampling, ponies can reduce the dominance of Molinia, leading to an increase in the germination and establishment of heather seedlings.

Microbial Qualities of Nkwuaku and Ogbaru Streams Located in Awgu Local Government Area in Enugu State, Nigeria

Water samples from Nkwuaku and Ogbaru streams located in Awgu local government area in Enugu State, Nigeria were evaluated for the presence of microbial contaminants. Both samples were subjected to physicochemical analysis, total bacterial count and isolation of microbial pathogens, using conventional techniques. Physicochemical characteristics of both water samples showed that Nkwuaku stream had the least total dissolved solid value of 210mg/L while the highest value of 270mg/L was recorded for Ogbaru stream. Total heterotrophic bacteria count revealed that Ogbaru stream water sample had a higher bacterial population of 5.1x107cfu/ml than Nkwuaku stream water sample which had a bacterial population of 4.2x107cfu/ml. A total number of twelve (12) microorganisms were isolated from both water samples analyzed. Eight (8) bacteria genera isolated include: Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella spp., Klebsiella spp., Staphylococcum aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus spp. and Campylobacter spp. Four (4) fungi were isolated and they include: Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus and Fusarium oxysporum. Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus spp. had the highest percentage occurrence (16.66%) each while Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsilla spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Campylobacter spp. had the least percentage occurrence (8.33%) each. Also, Aspergillus recorded the highest percentage occurrence of 40% for fungi while the least percentage (20%) was recorded for Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporium and Aspergillus fumigatus each. This study reveals that microbial qualities of these streams render them unfit for human consumption as sources of portable water although they can be used for other household purposes.

Monthly drought prediction based on ensemble models

Drought is a natural hazard, which is a result of a prolonged shortage of precipitation, high temperature and change in the weather pattern. Drought harms society, the economy and the natural environment, but it is difficult to identify and characterize. Many areas of Pakistan have suffered severe droughts during the last three decades due to changes in the weather pattern. A drought analysis with the incorporation of climate information has not yet been undertaken in this study region. Here, we propose an ensemble approach for monthly drought prediction and to define and examine wet/dry events. Initially, the drought events were identified by the short term Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI-3). Drought is predicted based on three ensemble models i.e., Equal Ensemble Drought Prediction (EEDP), Weighted Ensemble Drought Prediction (WEDP) and the Conditional Ensemble Drought Prediction (CEDP) model. Besides, two weighting procedures are used for distributing weights in the WEDP model, such as Traditional Weighting (TW) and the Weighted Bootstrap Resampling (WBR) procedure. Four copula families (i.e., Frank, Clayton, Gumbel and Joe) are used to explain the dependency relation between climate indices and precipitation in the CEDP model. Among all four copula families, the Joe copula has been found suitable for most of the times. The CEDP model provides better results in terms of accuracy and uncertainty as compared to other ensemble models for all meteorological stations. The performance of the CEDP model indicates that the climate indices are correlated with a weather pattern of four meteorological stations. Moreover, the percentage occurrence of extreme drought events that have appeared in the Multan, Bahawalpur, Barkhan and Khanpur are 1.44%, 0.57%, 2.59% and 1.71%, respectively, whereas the percentage occurrence of extremely wet events are 2.3%, 1.72%, 0.86% and 2.86%, respectively. The understanding of drought pattern by including climate information can contribute to the knowledge of future agriculture and water resource management.

Epidemiological Investigation, Serotypes and Distribution of Verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) in Raw Milk and Milk Products in Uyo, Nigeria

Food borne diseases are of great concern globally especially in the developing countries where poor sanitation is applied during collection and processing of milk from animals. The epidemiological investigation, serotypes and distribution of verocytotoxin (VTI and VT2)- producing Escherichia coli in raw milk and milk products were determined using structured questionnaire, Cefixime tellurite-sorbitol MacConkey agar, agglutination kits and VTEC-RPLA Toxin detection Kit. Out of 27 milkers, 7.4 % had primary education, 22.2 % washed the milk utensils with cold water and soap, 11.1 % washed their hands before milking, while 7.4 % milkers washed the udder of the animals before milking. All the yoghurts had the product names; 85.7 % had NAFDAC numbers; 80.0% had Batch Numbers, while 71.4 % had Manufacturer s’ Addresses. The unpasteurized milk samples had E. coli 0157 and non 0157 E. coli counts (CFU.ml-1) ranging from 4.0 x 102 to 1.7 x 103 and 6.0 x 102 to 2.0 x 103 , respectively, while E. coli 0157 and non 0157 E. coli counts of milk products were between 1.0 x 102 and 1.0 x 103 CFU.ml-1. E. coli 0157 had the highest percentage occurrence (38.3%), while E. coli 0145 had the lowest percentage occurrence (2.1%). More than 38.3% of the E. coli serotypes produced VT2, while ≥ 12.8% were VT1 producers. The occurrence of VTEC in the unpasteurized milk shows that the milkers should be enlightened on the necessary sanitary practices to adopt during milking and also post-pasteurization contamination of milk products should be avoided. Key Words: Verotoxigenic, Escherichia coli, Milk, Yoghurt, Nono, Serotypes.

RETROSPECTIVE EVALUATION OF PRE-ANALYTICAL ERRORS IN CLINICAL BIOCHEMISTRY LABORATORY AT A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE IN RAJSAMAND, RAJASTHAN.

Background: This study was carried out to identify the causes of pre-analytical errors in the clinical biochemistry laboratory and their percentage occurrence so as to formulate the strategy for necessary corrective and preventive actions. Methods: A retrospective quantitative study was conducted in the department of biochemistry to identify the different causes of pre-analytical errors in the outpatient and inpatient samples. The sample rejection register and test requisition forms for the period of May 2018 to April 2019 were analysed and the percentage occurrence of the different types of errors was calculated. Results: Data analysis revealed that the occurrence of different errors was as follows: hemolysis (46.43%), sample not received (28.32%), insufficient quantity (8.16%), improper collection technique (7.14%), delayed transport (5.87%), wrong container (1.79%), sample clotted (1.28%), lipemic sample (0.77%) and sample exchanged during separation in lab (0.26%). Conclusion: The decline in the errors during the analytical phase of sample processing has shifted the focus towards reducing errors occurring in the pre-analytical phase. This is necessary to ensure patient safety. Keywords: Pre-analytical errors, Biochemistry, hemolysis.

Studies on Microbial Contamination of Cut and Exposed Onions

Onions (Allium cepa), a vegetable plant is consumed globally for its culinary and medicinal importance. Despite the various health benefits ascribed to onions, several rumours have been spread, especially on the online media as regards its ability to act as a sponge absorbing microorganisms from the atmosphere, once cut open and left exposed in the atmosphere. This research work involved the exposure of the half portion of an onion at different sites, while culturing the other half immediately without exposure, to serve as a control. Thirty healthy and fresh onion samples were exposed, and the sites of exposure include: living rooms, public conveniences, kitchens, fridge, freezer, and bole joints (roasted plantain eatery). After inoculation and identification of the cultured microorganisms, Pseudomonas sp., Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus sp., Klebsiella sp., Enterobacter sp., yeast and Aspergillus sp., were isolated with Klebsiella sp., Pseudomonas sp. and Staphylococcus sp. having the highest number of occurrence of 40% having been isolated from twelve test samples each. B. cereus had a percentage occurrence of 30%, having been isolated from nine test samples. E. coli had a 10% occurrence having been isolated from three test samples, while Enterobacter sp. had the lowest rate of occurrence having been isolated in just one test sample. For the fungi isolates, Aspergillus sp. had a percentage occurrence of 76.6% having been isolated in twenty three test samples, while yeast had a percentage occurrence of 66.6%, having been isolated in twenty test samples. The isolated organisms were all pathogenic organisms, and some such as Staphylococcus sp. and Bacillus sp. have been implicated in causing food poisoning. Some other organisms isolated have also been implicated in the spoilage of onions. It is therefore recommended that users of onions should reduce to the barest minimum the tendency to consume raw cut onion sample.