To determine the knowledge of HIV/AIDS among primary school pupils in north central area of Nigeria. 2000 randomly selected primary school pupils in and around eastern part of Idoma area of Benue state were interviewed using an open-ended questionnaire. Data analysis was done with EPI-INFO 2000. The Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis and the 0.05 level of significance was adopted. A totle of 1010 males and 990 females at ages between five and sixteen years were drawn from 10 primary schools in the area. Pupils in the higher classes were more knowledgeable and sex difference was not statistically significant. Certain misconceptions were noted. There is need for health education for all cadres of primary school pupils in the area, which will increase the awareness of the disease.

Animal feeds can potentially become contaminated with food borne bacteria either during harvesting, processing at the feed mill or during storage. Animal feeds are also potential reservoirs for cross contamination from environmental sources while being fed to animals. This study was therefore carried out to analyse the bacterial load of poultry feeds sold within Jos metropolis and to deduce the bacteriological quality of feeds sold at the various sales outlets. Four different commercial poultry feeds namely, broiler finisher, broiler starter, growers mash and layers mash obtained from their trade outlets in Jos, Bukuru and K-Vom, Nigeria were examined for their microbiological qualities using standard microbiological and analytical methods. The bacterial count was highest in broiler starter with 3.50 x 10 7 cfu/g, while the least count of 5.40 x 10 3 cfu/g was recorded in layers mash. A total of six bacteria were isolated which include; Bacillus cereus , Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli , Proteus mirabilis , Listeria monocytogens and Klebsiella spp . The presence of some pathogenic microorganisms in poultry feeds lucidly reveals the level of contamination. Therefore, the commercial poultry feeds should be periodically examined for biosafety, so as to reduce or probably prevent the risk of cross contamination of poultry and poultry products. Keywords : Poultry feeds, bacteria, contamination

To isolate bacterial pathogens and test for their antibiotic susceptibility. A total of 20 000 samples from 9 different clinical sites were processed in the laboratory between 1987 to 2000. The specimens were inoculated on the appropriate media for the isolation of the bacteria. Biochemical and serology tests were carried out on the organisms to confirm the type of bacteria isolated. Antibiotic susceptibility test was also carried out on each of the bacteria isolated. A total of 18 520 bacteria were isolated from the specimens. The specimens were from nine different clinical sites, i.e. wound accounted for 22.84%, urine 31.67%, blood 12.38%, genital 7.70%, sputum 6.81%, stool 6.28%, cerebrospinal fluid 5.98%, aspirates 3.85% and ear/throat swabs were 2.49%. Gram negative bacteria accounted for 76% of isolates. The main species were Pseudomonas 2 238 (12.08%), Escherichia coli (E. coli) 2 073 (11.19%) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) which accounted for 2 511 (13.56%) of the total isolates. S. aureus showed 70% and 65% resistance to penicillin and ampicillin, respectively. Surprisingly, 40% of the organism was resistant to cloxacillin. E. coli showed 47% and 42% resistance to ampicillin and gentamicin, respectively. 49% of Salmonella typhi was resistant to chloramphenicol while 37% of Neisseria meningitidis was resistant to penicillin. The rate of bacteria isolated from the clinical specimens is high and antibiotic sensitivity pattern of the organisms vary from one antibiotic to the other.

Objective: To determine the common bacterial causes of urinary tract infection and their antibiotic susceptibility pattern in AIDS patients versus non-AIDS patients. Methods: One thousand consecutive All)S patients with signs and symptoms of AIDS and non-AIDS patients (served as control) each on admission were recruited into the study between January 2005 to January 2008, in Federal Medical Center, Makurdi. Urine samples were collected with sterile universal bottles and analysed with appropriate laboratory methods and antibiotic susceptibility test was carried out by disk diffusion technique in accordance with National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS, now CLSI) criteria. The results were analysed using SPSS 11.0 statistical software. Results: Urine samples of AIDS patients with urinary infection had a more spectrum of micro organisms including Candida organisms, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Ceftriaxone, Ceftazidime or Ciprofloxacin had a remarkably high anti bacterial activity across the two study groups. A general resistance was recorded in ampicillin, tetracycline and co-trimoxazole. There was no significant difference in antibiotic susceptibility patterns between AIDS and non AIDS patients(P>0.05). Conclusions: A reduction in unnecessary use of antibiotics as well as infection control should be encouraged in our health facilities.

Objective:To investigate the incidence of malaria and anaemia among children after the ninth malaria day celebration.Methods:Children attending primary healthcare centres in Makurdi for routine immunization purposes were recruited between September and November 2008 into the study.Thick and thin blood films from arterial blood were stained with Giemsa’s stain and examined microscopically;packed cell volume（PCV） was measured using haematocrit machine and body temperatures with the aid of paediatric thermometers;other anthropometric measurements were also taken.Other relevant information on the children and their parents were obtained with the aid of a structured questionnaire.Data obtained was analysed using Epi Info statistical s of tware,P values≤0.05 were considered significant.Results:The incidence of Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia was 32.3%among the 502 children;85.9%（n=139） of children with malaria parasites were anaemic and 88.9%（8/9） of the children with fever had malaria.Infections were commoneT in children aged one year and above（P＜0.05）.Use of insecticide treated bed nets（TTNs） was 24.7%（n=124） while 27.9%（n=140） used untreated bed nets.There was no significant difference in malaria incidence among those who used ITNs, untreated nets and other unconventional control methods（P＞0.05）.Educational level of mothers had no significant impact on the incidence of malaria among the children（P＞0.05）,while occupation had（P＜ 0.05）.Conclusions:Malaria and anaemia are still major health problems in Makurdi city as in several other parts of sub-Saharan Africa.Supply of ITNs and massive health education at the grass root should be stepped up,and possibly supply of facilities for rapid malaria diagnosis to the community should be considered.

Septicaemia is a common condition in children with a resultant high morbidity and mortality. The gold standard for diagnosis of septicemia is the isolation of bacteria agents from blood cultures. To determine the common etiology of septicemia in children and their antibiotic susceptibility pattern, a retrospective study with a review of blood culture reports of paediatric patients aged 0 - 15 years, suspected of septicemia, from October 2006 to October 2008 in the Medical Microbiology department of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria was carried out. Out of a total of 3840 blood culture samples, only 18.2% was culture positive. Gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria constituted 69.3 and 30.7%, respectively. The most prevalent bacterial isolates were Escherichia coli (44.3%) and Staphylococcus aureus (30.7%). E. coli were sensitive to Ceftriaxone, Ciprofloxacin, Gentamycin and Clavulinate - Amoxyl. The commonest bacterial isolate from blood culture of children with suspected septicemia in Kano was E. coli. The most sensitive and preferable among the tested antibiotics was Ceftriaxone. Rational use of antibiotics with regular antibiotic susceptibility surveillance studies is recommended to maintain high antibiotic therapeutic profile.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with its associated sequelae is a disease of major public health importance worldwide. This study analyzed the results of Hepatitis-C screening among blood donors at the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi over a 12–month period (January – December, 2008), with a view to establishing the prevalence rate in this area of the Middle Belt of Nigeria.Methods: Results of hepatitis – C screening from the blood bank unit of the study Centre were reviewed for the twelve month period (Jan. – Dec. 2008). Screening for antiHCV was done using a commercial enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. (ELISA kit)Results: A total of 1,400 samples were screened for hepatitis C over the one year period. The overall seropositivity rate was found to be 5.4% Conclusion: HCV infection is common in Makurdi. Adequate screening of prospective blood donors and the institution of adequate public health measures is advocated in order to reduce the transmission of this virus.

The continued persistence of malaria in Africa appears to be largely due to socio-cultural factors, which very often, are at variance with the standard control methods. The study was therefore designed to ascertain the socio-cultural factors affecting the control of malaria in an endemic city- Makurdi, north central Nigeria. The study was cross-sectional in nature using systematic sampling methods to identify households; both quantitative and qualitative data were generated from adult women using structured and semi-structured questionnaires, and focused group discussions (FGDs) to obtain information on malaria. Questionnaires were administered requesting such as age, educational level, marital status, and awareness or otherwise of the existence of malaria, and methods of prevention. Focused group discussions were used to obtain qualitative information on malaria not captured in the questionnaires. Data obtained was analysed using Epi Info 6 statistical software. Of the 2,075 adult women studied, 97.0% (n=2,013) were aware of the existence of malaria. Out of these, 83.0% (n=1,671) did not consider malaria to be a serious health problem that would need urgent attention. Educational level and marriage had a positive impact on knowledge about the disease (P< 0.05). Accessibility to information on malaria and general knowledge of the modes of transmission and control was generally low, and to a large extent influenced by their cultural beliefs, values and low economic strengths. There is a need to intensify adult health education and provision should be made for home health educators to raise peoples’ knowledge about the disease. Policies meant to reduce the poverty level of the people should be put in place to raise their economic status.

Objective: To ascertain the socio-cultural factors influencing the rate of utilization of insecticide treated bed nets (ITNs) in a malaria endemic city of Makurdi, north central Nigeria. Methods: The study was cross sectional in nature using systematic sampling method to identify households. Both quantitative and qualitative data was generated from adult women using structured and semi structured questionnaires, and focused group discussions (FGDs) to obtain information on rate and patterns of utilization of ITNs. Information such as age, educational level, marital status, awareness or otherwise of the existence of malaria, and factors influencing rate of ownership and utilization of ITNs were obtained. FGDs were used to obtain qualitative information on rate of utilization of ITNs not captured in the questionnaires. Data obtained was analysed using Epi Info.6 statistical software. Results: Among the respondents interviewed, 97.0% (2 013/2 075) were aware of existence of malaria and 87.0% of these (1 751/2 013) would associate it with mosquitoes. The rate of ownership of any bed net, ITNs and untreated bed nets (UTNs) was 25.1%, 17.0% and 8.3%, respectively. Utilization of ITNs among children was 30.0% (112/373) and UTNs 12.9% (48/373). Positive contributors to ITNs utilization were literacy, enhanced economy, experience of marriage, and being gainfully employed (P<0.05); while negative contributors were ignorance, poverty and some cultural beliefs and values. Conclusions: A more synchronized advocacy should be carried out on the potential benefits of ITNs utilization and sustained. Also ITNs should be made available to the people of the community at minimal or no cost.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are often considered uncommon among children by clinicians. The study was therefore set up to ascertain the prevalence of significant bacteriuria among pre-school children in a Nigerian urban community. Pre-school children attending nursery schools in different distinct geographical locations of Calabar city were recruited through computer assisted random sampling methods. Information from both children and parents such as age and gender of children, educational level and occupation of parents/guardians were obtained with the aid of a structured questionnaire; other anthropometric measurements on the children were also carried out. Urine samples were collected stored and processed using standard laboratory methods while diffusion methods were used to carry out the antimicrobial susceptibility tests. Dipstick was also used to screen the urine for probable urinary tract infection and the results compared with cultural methods. Data obtained was analyzed using Epi Info 6 statistical software. The prevalence of significant bacteriuria among the 455 pre-school children was 7.3% with infection rate increasing proportionately with age (P 0.05). Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella spp. were the commonest organisms encountered. Dipstick screening UTI was found to be 87.9% and 96% sensitive and specific respectively compared to the gold standard. Urinary tract infection is a probable phenomenon among pre-school children and screening for it could be carried out with the aid of urinary dipstick in the absence of appropriate cultural methods and its obvious limitations proportionately factored into medical decision making.

Urinary tract infection is often not assumed to be a common clinical finding among children by clinicians. The study was therefore set up to ascertain the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of bacteria recovered from urine of pre-school children with significant bacteriuria. Pre-school children attending nursery schools from five distinct geographical locations in Calabar municipality were recruited using random sampling methods. Mid-stream urine samples were obtained, transported, stored and processed using standard laboratory procedures, while antimicrobial susceptibility tests were carried out using modified Kirby-Bauer’s disk diffusion methods. Other information such as age, sex, parents or guardians occupation were obtained using structured questionnaires; other anthropometric measurements such as weight and height were also taken. Data was analysed using Epi Info 6 statistical software. The prevalence of significant bacteriuria was 7.3% with no significant gender difference (P> 0.05). The commonest organisms isolated were Escherichia coli 36.4%, Proteus mirabilis 21.2%, and Klebsiella pneumoniae 18.2%, others were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (9.1%), Enterobacter species (6.0%) and Staphylococcus aureus (9.1%). All the isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 66.7% of Klebsiella pneumoniae were from males (P< 0.05) and 76.7% of Staphylococcus aureus from females (P< 0.05). Antibiotics with highest activity were: ceftriaxone (100%), cefuroxime (33%-100%), nalidixic acid (50-100%), and gentamicin (50%-100%); those with least activity were ampicillin (0%), co-trimoxazole (0%-33%) and augmentin (0%-17%). Urinary tract infection could occur in pre-school children with out obvious clinical features, hence surveillance through routine urine screening is recommended. Ceftriaxone, cefuroxime, nalidixic acid and gentamicin may be considered in the absence of a sensitivity report.

The study was designed to ascertain the bacterial agents of acute otitis media (AOM) and chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns so as to identify the antibiotics of choice for treatment of such ailments in the environment. The study was retrospective in nature; data generated from the Medical Microbiology laboratory of the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi on ear swab samples for a period of five years (June 2000 - May 2005) was compiled. Information such as age, sex, diagnosis, organism isolated and its antibiotic susceptibility patterns was extracted. Samples were processed using standard laboratory procedures. Results obtained were analysed using SPSS 11.0 statistical software and P values respectively were under 10 years; the three most common causative organisms for CSOM were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (28.3%), Escherichia coli (17.3%), and Staphylococcus aureus (16.9%), and for AOM were Staphylococcus aureus (31.3%), Haemophilus influenzae (21.4%), and Streptococcus pneumoniae (14.0%). The most active antimicrobials for both CSOM and AOM were ceftriaxone, peflacine, cefuroxime, ciprofloxacin and augmentin which were over 80% active against majority of the isolates, while ampicillin, erythromycin, cloxacillin, tetracycline and penicillin were the least active against ( and ceftriaxone should be considered in the regimen of CSOM.

BACKGROUND: In Nigeria, Benue state was identified to have the highest HIV/AIDS burden according to the results of the national HIV sentinel seroprevalence survey conducted in 2005. The objective of this paper is to determine the current seroprevalence of HIV infection among prospective blood donors at a General hospital in Otukpo, an urban area of Benue State, in the Middle Belt of Nigeria.Method: Results HIV screening at the blood bank of the general hospital over a three year period (2006 – 2008) were reviewed retrospectively. The subjects were all blood donors. Screening was done using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique.Results: A total of 2,500 samples were screened for HIV over the three – year period. The seropositivity rate was 12%.Conclusion: These results indicate an increasing endemicity of HIV infection in Benue state. There is an urgent need to intensify HIV/AIDS control programmes in order to reverse this dangerous trend in the prevalence of HIV infection among Nigerians living in the middle belt and elsewhere in Nigeria.

Background: Although there has been no proven association between urinary schistosomiasis and the human immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection, the resulting raw surfaces and wounded mucosa that characterize infestation with genitourinary schistosomiasis may increase the susceptibility of patients infested with this trematode to HIV infection. Hence, prevention of urinary schistosomiasis may also prevent and reduce susceptibility to HIV infection. The aim of this paper is to determine the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWAS) and Non HIV persons in Otukpo , an urban area of Benue state where HIV / AIDS is highly endemic.Methods: sediments of the centrifuge urine of the patient were examined microscopically. Schistosoma haematobium was identified by its terminal spine.Result” four hundred (20% out of two thousand confirmed HIV patients tested positive for schistosomiasis. Two hundred and ninety (14.5%) of the non-HIV infected patients were positive for the trematode.Conclusion: the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis is high in Otukpo area, both among the PLWAS and onHIV persons. Preventive interventions for both schistosomiasis and HIV should be intensified in the area.