Journal of Environmental Bioremediation and Toxicology
Petroleum hydrocarbon-polluted environments contain massive diversity of microbes capable of tran... more Petroleum hydrocarbon-polluted environments contain massive diversity of microbes capable of transforming or reducing hydrocarbon concentrations, and this has consequently led to an interest in the cultivation screening for microbial potentials to remediate petroleum hydrocarbon-polluted lands. Conversely, the reliance singly on culturing approach for the discovery of various hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria without probing for its hydrocarbon degradative capabilities has now become rampant in some research communities, and in most cases may not be justifiable. Besides, vast microbial communities with hydrocarbon-degrading potentials are eluded with the conventional method. Opportunely, the advent of culture-independent approaches such as molecular techniques and next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has shifted the paradigm of research, now focusing on contemporary and advanced trending ways to discover the uncultivable microbial communities and assess their functional roles in...
Global consumption of petroleum and petroleum products draws the public’s attention to the fate o... more Global consumption of petroleum and petroleum products draws the public’s attention to the fate of petroleum hydrocarbons in the environment, as they can permeate the soil environment in an uncontrollable manner. This study examined the physicochemical properties of soil heavily polluted with petroleum hydrocarbons using standards methods as described by the International Soil Reference and Information Center (ISRIC). Isolation and identification of fungi was carried out using enrichment technique, cultural morphology and microscopic examination. The isolates obtained were tested for ability to utilize BTEX using mineral salts medium (MSM) supplemented with 1% v/v BTEX as the sole carbon source for 7 days. The hydrocarbon-utilizing fungal (HUF) spore counts were determined by direct counting using Neubauer Haemocytometer. The petroleum contaminated soil has a characteristic gasoline odour and black in color. The texture of the soil was observed to be sandy, with slightly alkaline pH...
The prevalence of geohelminth infection in children attending two public primary schools in Samar... more The prevalence of geohelminth infection in children attending two public primary schools in Samaru, Zaria, Nigeria was studied, using stool samples and soil collected from various parts of the schools. The samples were analysed using formol-ether concentration method and observed under the microscope to check for the presence of the ova/eggs of geohelminthes. The overall prevalence of geohelminth eggs in soil samples was found to be 59.4% in both schools (Saidu Primary School: 26.5%; Amina Primary School: 32.8%). This is distributed as follows: eggs of Hookworm (28.1%), Taenia spp. (18.8%) and Trichuris trichuira (12.5%). The overall prevalence of geohelminth eggs in the stool samples of hundred pupils examined in both schools was 30% (Saidu Pri. School: 14%; Amina Pri. School: 16%) with distribution as follows; eggs of Hookworm (13%), Ascaris lumbricoides (7%), Taenia spp. (7%), T. trichiura (2%) and larvae of Strongyloides (1%). Children aged 5 – 9 years showed higher prevalence (...
Otitis media is an inflammatory disease of the mucosal lining of the middle ear. It occurs more f... more Otitis media is an inflammatory disease of the mucosal lining of the middle ear. It occurs more frequently in children due to the shorter and more horizontal eustachian tube in their ears. The focus of this study is determining the prevalence of otitis media in children aged 6 months – 10 years attending a primary health care facility in Samaru, Zaria, Nigeria. Fifty swabs from ear discharge and imparted wax were obtained from the study subjects regardless of whether they were presenting with symptoms of otitis media or not. Information on certain symptoms, as well as demographic and risk factors was obtained through the use of questionnaires. A prevalence of 54% of otitis media was obtained in this study. The following bacterial species were isolated: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (25.7%), Escherichia coli (25.7%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (14.3%), Staphylococcus aureus (14.3%), Proteus mirabilis (8.6%), Coagulase negative Staphylococci (8.6%) and Proteus vulgaris (3.7%). The infection was o...
The use of biogas as a means of satisfying energy demands is a viable alternative to fuel wood wh... more The use of biogas as a means of satisfying energy demands is a viable alternative to fuel wood which results in the indiscriminate felling of tress. Animal wastes as organic substrates in the production of biogas provide a cheap and eco-friendly method of managing wastes. In this study, three different animal wastes (Cow dung: pH 1 =7.08, pH 2 = 7.32; Goats’ droppings: pH 1 =5.49, pH 2 =5.26; and Chicken droppings: pH 1 = 5.49, pH 2 = 5.75) were used as substrates in the production of biogas, and the experiment was carried out at ambient temperature for a hydraulic retention time of three weeks. A set of three laboratory digesters was used in the experimental set up, and the performance of the animal wastes was assessed based on the volume and quality of the biogas produced. The amount of biogas produced by the animal wastes in decreasing order is as follows; chicken droppings (18.27 Litres), cow dung (12.55 Litres) and goats’ droppings (5.11 Litres). The order of flammability of th...
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULF... more A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR THE AWARD OF PH.D MICROBIOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY FACULTY OF SCIENCE AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
Biostimulation is an effective means of enhancing bioremediation of toxic compounds. In this stud... more Biostimulation is an effective means of enhancing bioremediation of toxic compounds. In this study, goat dung was used as an additional source of nutrients to improve the degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in a heavily contaminated soil. Soil samples collected from a mechanic workshop in Zaria, Nigeria, was subjected to microcosm studies in a screen house and three proportions (2%w/w, 3%w/w, 4%w/w kg-1.soil) of goat dung added to the soil samples. The effect of the addition of nutrients from the goat dung on the hydrocarbon degrading bacterial community in the soil was determined by measuring the hydrocarbon utilizing bacterial counts, percentage degradation of hydrocarbon and biostimulation efficiency. At the end of the seven-week experiment, it was observed that 4% w/w of goat dung had the highest hydrocarbon utilizing bacterial count but, the maximum percentage hydrocarbon degradation occurred in the treatment with 2% w/w goat dung and biostimulation efficiency was optimum wit...
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the top global health threats driving our planet to the post-a... more Antimicrobial resistance is one of the top global health threats driving our planet to the post-antibiotic era. The formulation of antibiotics is expensive and time-consuming, and this may have delayed the production of new ones. Therefore, approaches such as Clustered Regularly Interspersed Short Palindromic Repeats-associated protein-Cas—CRISPR-Cas, a system which is capable of reverting Antimicrobial Resistance Genes (ARGs) could be the potential means of significantly reducing the burden of antimicrobial resistance globally. In this perspective, we highlight how this system has been previously applied in vivo and in vitro studies to tackle antibiotics resistance, stating its relevance as well as challenges while providing recommendation for the effective use of this system.
Stool samples were collected from one hundred and fifty patients attending the Sick-bay of the Sa... more Stool samples were collected from one hundred and fifty patients attending the Sick-bay of the Samaru campus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. These were examined for the presence of helminths. The method of formol-ether centrifugation was used. The eggs of three genera of nematodes were recovered from the stool samples: Ancylostoma duodenale (3.3%), Ascaris lumbricoides (2.7%) and Schistosoma mansoni (1.3%). A higher prevalence was recorded for the male patients (10.9%) while the females had a prevalence of 5.8%. The prevalence of helminth infections based on the various age groups of patients was also studied; age group 0 – 10 years had the highest rate while age group ≥ 40 years recorded the lowest. The data collected were analysed using two-way ANOVA, based on the age groups and gender of the patients respectively. The age groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05), while the gender was not (P > 0.05). Young children should be protected from likely sources of soil t...
Biostimulation is a process by which nutrients and/or oxygen are added to enhance bioremediation.... more Biostimulation is a process by which nutrients and/or oxygen are added to enhance bioremediation. This study involved the use of Klebsiella sp. in the biodegradation of crude oil, and comparing two different methods of biostimulation - addition of oxygen (hydrogen peroxide 0.03%v/v) and addition of nutrients (fertilizer: NPK 15-15-15; 30%w/w). The microcosm experiments took place for a period of seven weeks during which the heterotrophic plate count and estimation of oil and grease content were both used to monitor the progress of biodegradation of the crude oil. Heterotrophic counts ranged from 1.0 x 103 to 3.1 x 105 CFU/gram of soil while, the oil and grease content ranged between 120mg/litre and 480 mg/litre. Treatments containing hydrogen peroxide as the only enhancement recorded the highest heterotrophic counts as well as the lowest oil and grease content at the end of the seven week duration; indicating that in this study, oxygenation had a more profound effect on increasing t...
Journal of Environmental Bioremediation and Toxicology
Petroleum hydrocarbon-polluted environments contain massive diversity of microbes capable of tran... more Petroleum hydrocarbon-polluted environments contain massive diversity of microbes capable of transforming or reducing hydrocarbon concentrations, and this has consequently led to an interest in the cultivation screening for microbial potentials to remediate petroleum hydrocarbon-polluted lands. Conversely, the reliance singly on culturing approach for the discovery of various hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria without probing for its hydrocarbon degradative capabilities has now become rampant in some research communities, and in most cases may not be justifiable. Besides, vast microbial communities with hydrocarbon-degrading potentials are eluded with the conventional method. Opportunely, the advent of culture-independent approaches such as molecular techniques and next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has shifted the paradigm of research, now focusing on contemporary and advanced trending ways to discover the uncultivable microbial communities and assess their functional roles in...
Global consumption of petroleum and petroleum products draws the public’s attention to the fate o... more Global consumption of petroleum and petroleum products draws the public’s attention to the fate of petroleum hydrocarbons in the environment, as they can permeate the soil environment in an uncontrollable manner. This study examined the physicochemical properties of soil heavily polluted with petroleum hydrocarbons using standards methods as described by the International Soil Reference and Information Center (ISRIC). Isolation and identification of fungi was carried out using enrichment technique, cultural morphology and microscopic examination. The isolates obtained were tested for ability to utilize BTEX using mineral salts medium (MSM) supplemented with 1% v/v BTEX as the sole carbon source for 7 days. The hydrocarbon-utilizing fungal (HUF) spore counts were determined by direct counting using Neubauer Haemocytometer. The petroleum contaminated soil has a characteristic gasoline odour and black in color. The texture of the soil was observed to be sandy, with slightly alkaline pH...
The prevalence of geohelminth infection in children attending two public primary schools in Samar... more The prevalence of geohelminth infection in children attending two public primary schools in Samaru, Zaria, Nigeria was studied, using stool samples and soil collected from various parts of the schools. The samples were analysed using formol-ether concentration method and observed under the microscope to check for the presence of the ova/eggs of geohelminthes. The overall prevalence of geohelminth eggs in soil samples was found to be 59.4% in both schools (Saidu Primary School: 26.5%; Amina Primary School: 32.8%). This is distributed as follows: eggs of Hookworm (28.1%), Taenia spp. (18.8%) and Trichuris trichuira (12.5%). The overall prevalence of geohelminth eggs in the stool samples of hundred pupils examined in both schools was 30% (Saidu Pri. School: 14%; Amina Pri. School: 16%) with distribution as follows; eggs of Hookworm (13%), Ascaris lumbricoides (7%), Taenia spp. (7%), T. trichiura (2%) and larvae of Strongyloides (1%). Children aged 5 – 9 years showed higher prevalence (...
Otitis media is an inflammatory disease of the mucosal lining of the middle ear. It occurs more f... more Otitis media is an inflammatory disease of the mucosal lining of the middle ear. It occurs more frequently in children due to the shorter and more horizontal eustachian tube in their ears. The focus of this study is determining the prevalence of otitis media in children aged 6 months – 10 years attending a primary health care facility in Samaru, Zaria, Nigeria. Fifty swabs from ear discharge and imparted wax were obtained from the study subjects regardless of whether they were presenting with symptoms of otitis media or not. Information on certain symptoms, as well as demographic and risk factors was obtained through the use of questionnaires. A prevalence of 54% of otitis media was obtained in this study. The following bacterial species were isolated: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (25.7%), Escherichia coli (25.7%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (14.3%), Staphylococcus aureus (14.3%), Proteus mirabilis (8.6%), Coagulase negative Staphylococci (8.6%) and Proteus vulgaris (3.7%). The infection was o...
The use of biogas as a means of satisfying energy demands is a viable alternative to fuel wood wh... more The use of biogas as a means of satisfying energy demands is a viable alternative to fuel wood which results in the indiscriminate felling of tress. Animal wastes as organic substrates in the production of biogas provide a cheap and eco-friendly method of managing wastes. In this study, three different animal wastes (Cow dung: pH 1 =7.08, pH 2 = 7.32; Goats’ droppings: pH 1 =5.49, pH 2 =5.26; and Chicken droppings: pH 1 = 5.49, pH 2 = 5.75) were used as substrates in the production of biogas, and the experiment was carried out at ambient temperature for a hydraulic retention time of three weeks. A set of three laboratory digesters was used in the experimental set up, and the performance of the animal wastes was assessed based on the volume and quality of the biogas produced. The amount of biogas produced by the animal wastes in decreasing order is as follows; chicken droppings (18.27 Litres), cow dung (12.55 Litres) and goats’ droppings (5.11 Litres). The order of flammability of th...
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULF... more A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR THE AWARD OF PH.D MICROBIOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY FACULTY OF SCIENCE AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
Biostimulation is an effective means of enhancing bioremediation of toxic compounds. In this stud... more Biostimulation is an effective means of enhancing bioremediation of toxic compounds. In this study, goat dung was used as an additional source of nutrients to improve the degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in a heavily contaminated soil. Soil samples collected from a mechanic workshop in Zaria, Nigeria, was subjected to microcosm studies in a screen house and three proportions (2%w/w, 3%w/w, 4%w/w kg-1.soil) of goat dung added to the soil samples. The effect of the addition of nutrients from the goat dung on the hydrocarbon degrading bacterial community in the soil was determined by measuring the hydrocarbon utilizing bacterial counts, percentage degradation of hydrocarbon and biostimulation efficiency. At the end of the seven-week experiment, it was observed that 4% w/w of goat dung had the highest hydrocarbon utilizing bacterial count but, the maximum percentage hydrocarbon degradation occurred in the treatment with 2% w/w goat dung and biostimulation efficiency was optimum wit...
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the top global health threats driving our planet to the post-a... more Antimicrobial resistance is one of the top global health threats driving our planet to the post-antibiotic era. The formulation of antibiotics is expensive and time-consuming, and this may have delayed the production of new ones. Therefore, approaches such as Clustered Regularly Interspersed Short Palindromic Repeats-associated protein-Cas—CRISPR-Cas, a system which is capable of reverting Antimicrobial Resistance Genes (ARGs) could be the potential means of significantly reducing the burden of antimicrobial resistance globally. In this perspective, we highlight how this system has been previously applied in vivo and in vitro studies to tackle antibiotics resistance, stating its relevance as well as challenges while providing recommendation for the effective use of this system.
Stool samples were collected from one hundred and fifty patients attending the Sick-bay of the Sa... more Stool samples were collected from one hundred and fifty patients attending the Sick-bay of the Samaru campus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. These were examined for the presence of helminths. The method of formol-ether centrifugation was used. The eggs of three genera of nematodes were recovered from the stool samples: Ancylostoma duodenale (3.3%), Ascaris lumbricoides (2.7%) and Schistosoma mansoni (1.3%). A higher prevalence was recorded for the male patients (10.9%) while the females had a prevalence of 5.8%. The prevalence of helminth infections based on the various age groups of patients was also studied; age group 0 – 10 years had the highest rate while age group ≥ 40 years recorded the lowest. The data collected were analysed using two-way ANOVA, based on the age groups and gender of the patients respectively. The age groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05), while the gender was not (P > 0.05). Young children should be protected from likely sources of soil t...
Biostimulation is a process by which nutrients and/or oxygen are added to enhance bioremediation.... more Biostimulation is a process by which nutrients and/or oxygen are added to enhance bioremediation. This study involved the use of Klebsiella sp. in the biodegradation of crude oil, and comparing two different methods of biostimulation - addition of oxygen (hydrogen peroxide 0.03%v/v) and addition of nutrients (fertilizer: NPK 15-15-15; 30%w/w). The microcosm experiments took place for a period of seven weeks during which the heterotrophic plate count and estimation of oil and grease content were both used to monitor the progress of biodegradation of the crude oil. Heterotrophic counts ranged from 1.0 x 103 to 3.1 x 105 CFU/gram of soil while, the oil and grease content ranged between 120mg/litre and 480 mg/litre. Treatments containing hydrogen peroxide as the only enhancement recorded the highest heterotrophic counts as well as the lowest oil and grease content at the end of the seven week duration; indicating that in this study, oxygenation had a more profound effect on increasing t...
ABSTRACT
Otitis media is an inflammatory disease of the mucosal lining of the middle ear. It occu... more ABSTRACT Otitis media is an inflammatory disease of the mucosal lining of the middle ear. It occurs more frequently in children due to the shorter and more horizontal eustachian tube in their ears. This study aims to determine the prevalence of otitis media in children aged 6months-10years attending a primary health facility in Samaru, Zaria, Nigeria. Fifty swabs from ear discharge and imparted wax where obtained from the study subjects irrespective of whether they were presenting with symptoms of otitis media. Information on certain demographic and risk factors was obtained through the use of questionnaires. A prevalence of 54% was obtained among the children, the following bacterial species were isolated; Pseudomonas aeruginosa (25.7%), Escherichia coli (25.7%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (14.3%), Staphylococcus aureus (14.3%), Proteus mirabilis (8.6%), Coagulase negative Staphylococci (8.6%) and Proteus vulgaris (3.7%). Otitis media infection was observed to be higher in children aged 6months-2years, as well as children not undergoing, or had not undergone exclusive breastfeeding. Antibiotics susceptibility tests revealed that the Gram negative bacteria isolated were susceptible to Ciprofloxacin, Ofloxacin, and Sparfloxacin and resistant to Amoxicillin, Augmentin and Streptomycin, while the Gram positive bacteria were susceptible to Ciprofloxacin and resistant to Cefuroxime, Co-trimoxazole and Erythromycin. Most of the isolates were resistant to Co-trimoxazole, Erythromycin, Amoxicillin and Augmentin (with the exception of Staphylococcus aureus and Coagulase negative Staphylococcus). Therefore, it is recommended that antibiotic susceptibility testing be conducted before treatment of otitis media in children. The importance of exclusive breastfeeding and good personal hygiene should be emphasized to nursing mothers. Keywords: otitis media, children, bacteria, antibiotics, Zaria
Sub-theme: Microbes in Human and Animal Health Type of presentation: Poster
DIVERSITY OF BACTERIA IN A PETROLEUM-CONTAMINATED SOIL SPIKED WITH POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBO... more DIVERSITY OF BACTERIA IN A PETROLEUM-CONTAMINATED SOIL SPIKED WITH POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS By Raji1*, H.M., Ameh1, J.B., Ado1, S.A., Yakubu1, S.E., Webster2, G. and Weightman2, A.J. 1Department of Microbiology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria 2 Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom *Corresponding author: habibasalam19@yahoo.com, 0803 596 0039
ABSTRACT Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) form part of fossil fuels and are formed from the incomplete combustion of organic substances. Soil samples collected from a Mechanic workshop site in Zaria, Kaduna state were spiked with PAHs (phenanthrene, chrysene and benzo[a]pyrene), genomic DNA was extracted from the samples and 16S rRNA gene was amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The amplicons were analysed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and prominent bands were excised and sequenced. Multiple sequence alignment and the phylogenetic relationship between the 16S gene sequences were determined using MEGA4 software. The bacterial diversity based on the DGGE profile as determined using the Shannon Weiner diversity index (H) was 2.8292 while the species richness (S) was 140. Analysis of the 16S sequences following similarity searches of Genbank databases using the BLASTN program revealed that they were closely related to bacteria in the following phyla, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Chloroflexi. A maximum parsimony tree was constructed with bootstrap values to determine the evolutionary relationship between the sequences. The soil samples not spiked with PAHs had the most number of species (46%) while the most abundant bacterial phylum was Proteobacteria (42%). This study applied the use of DGGE fingerprints and phylogenetic analysis in determining possible effect PAHs might have on soil bacterial diversity. Key words: bacteria, diversity, 16S rRNA, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, soil
Sub-theme: Molecular Microbiology and Bioinformatics Type of presentation: Oral
Culture–dependent methods of identifying bacteria present in the soil often give limited informat... more Culture–dependent methods of identifying bacteria present in the soil often give limited information about their diversity owing to the fact that a large majority of these bacteria are viable but non-culturable. Metagenomics offer a viable means of depicting microbial taxonomic and functional diversity. Soil samples were collected from three sites exposed to petroleum products in Kaduna state located in the northwestern part of Nigeria, these sites are an auto workshop, a trailer park, and a site close to a stream receiving effluent from a petroleum refinery. The samples were collected from two depths (17 – 20 cm, and 37 – 40 cm respectively), and analysed based on physico-chemical parameters, PCR amplification of the partial 16S ribosomal RNA and phylogenetic studies. Genomic DNA was extracted from the samples in triplicates, and PCR-DGGE conducted; the forward primer has a 40 base GC clamp attached to it to enhance analysis with DGGE, the primer pair used is 357F-GC and 518R. Prominent bands on the DGGE gel were excised and sequenced. The sequences obtained were analysed on Finch tv software before subsequently subjected to BLAST analysis on the NCBI website for closest alignments. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis were carried out using the MEGA version 4.0 software. The sequences from the shallow samples from the auto workshop formed a separate cluster from the deep samples; and are all closely affiliated to Proteobacteria. The sequences from the trailer park soil showed closest relations to Gram positive high G+C bacteria and Gram positive low G+C bacteria. The closest relatives to the sequences from the refinery effluent site were members of Proteobacteria, Gram positive high G+C bacteria and Gram positive low G+C bacteria; thus showing more diversity than the other two sites. The study showed that the depth of sampling, anthropogenic activities as well as the soil physico-chemical parameters might play a role on the bacterial diversity of a soil sample.
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Papers by Habiba Atta
Otitis media is an inflammatory disease of the mucosal lining of the middle ear. It occurs more frequently in children due to the shorter and more horizontal eustachian tube in their ears. This study aims to determine the prevalence of otitis media in children aged 6months-10years attending a primary health facility in Samaru, Zaria, Nigeria. Fifty swabs from ear discharge and imparted wax where obtained from the study subjects irrespective of whether they were presenting with symptoms of otitis media. Information on certain demographic and risk factors was obtained through the use of questionnaires. A prevalence of 54% was obtained among the children, the following bacterial species were isolated; Pseudomonas aeruginosa (25.7%), Escherichia coli (25.7%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (14.3%), Staphylococcus aureus (14.3%), Proteus mirabilis (8.6%), Coagulase negative Staphylococci (8.6%) and Proteus vulgaris (3.7%). Otitis media infection was observed to be higher in children aged 6months-2years, as well as children not undergoing, or had not undergone exclusive breastfeeding. Antibiotics susceptibility tests revealed that the Gram negative bacteria isolated were susceptible to Ciprofloxacin, Ofloxacin, and Sparfloxacin and resistant to Amoxicillin, Augmentin and Streptomycin, while the Gram positive bacteria were susceptible to Ciprofloxacin and resistant to Cefuroxime, Co-trimoxazole and Erythromycin. Most of the isolates were resistant to Co-trimoxazole, Erythromycin, Amoxicillin and Augmentin (with the exception of Staphylococcus aureus and Coagulase negative Staphylococcus). Therefore, it is recommended that antibiotic susceptibility testing be conducted before treatment of otitis media in children. The importance of exclusive breastfeeding and good personal hygiene should be emphasized to nursing mothers.
Keywords: otitis media, children, bacteria, antibiotics, Zaria
Sub-theme: Microbes in Human and Animal Health
Type of presentation: Poster
By
Raji1*, H.M., Ameh1, J.B., Ado1, S.A., Yakubu1, S.E., Webster2, G. and Weightman2, A.J.
1Department of Microbiology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
2 Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
*Corresponding author: habibasalam19@yahoo.com, 0803 596 0039
ABSTRACT
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) form part of fossil fuels and are formed from the incomplete combustion of organic substances. Soil samples collected from a Mechanic workshop site in Zaria, Kaduna state were spiked with PAHs (phenanthrene, chrysene and benzo[a]pyrene), genomic DNA was extracted from the samples and 16S rRNA gene was amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The amplicons were analysed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and prominent bands were excised and sequenced. Multiple sequence alignment and the phylogenetic relationship between the 16S gene sequences were determined using MEGA4 software. The bacterial diversity based on the DGGE profile as determined using the Shannon Weiner diversity index (H) was 2.8292 while the species richness (S) was 140. Analysis of the 16S sequences following similarity searches of Genbank databases using the BLASTN program revealed that they were closely related to bacteria in the following phyla, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Chloroflexi. A maximum parsimony tree was constructed with bootstrap values to determine the evolutionary relationship between the sequences. The soil samples not spiked with PAHs had the most number of species (46%) while the most abundant bacterial phylum was Proteobacteria (42%). This study applied the use of DGGE fingerprints and phylogenetic analysis in determining possible effect PAHs might have on soil bacterial diversity.
Key words: bacteria, diversity, 16S rRNA, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, soil
Sub-theme: Molecular Microbiology and Bioinformatics
Type of presentation: Oral