Characterization of Mycobacterium Species Circulating among Tuberculosis Patients in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Introduction: Tuberculosis is caused by infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Looking at the evolution of the bacterium gene due to mutation is crucial to identify species circulating among patients in an area. WHO speculated that tuberculosis is caused by M. tuberculosis (MTB), but identification of the strains of MTB circulating in a particular area is important for the management of MTB and to identify pulmonary infections caused by non-tuberculosis mycobacterium. Contact tracing of drug resistant MTB in circulation in an area is also an important procedure of MTB therapeutic choice. Aim: This study aimed to isolate and identify Mycobacterium species circulating in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A total of 102 sputum samples collected from MTB patients were cultured in Lowenstein Jensen (LJ) solid media. Isolates on LJ media were confirmed using Zeihl Nelseen staining method for AFB and Standard Diagnosis Bioline TB Ag MPT64 Rapid test kit. The 16s rRNA gene amplification, agarose gel electrophoresis, and gene sequencing were conducted. Phylogenic analysis and evolutional distances of the strains are computed using the Juke-cantor method. Result: Out of 102 sputum samples examined 15 (14.7%) had growth of Mycobacterium species (AFB positive). The extracted DNA of MTB amplified on agarose gel electrophoresis aligned horizontally at lanes 1 - 15 showing 16S gene band (1500 bp). Two 2 (2.0%) are non-tuberculosis Mycobacteria species, while 13 (12.7%) were M. tuberculosis. The non-tuberculosis Mycobacterium species isolated are Mycobacteriode abscesses and Mycobacterium kansassii strain FDAARGOS 1534. The tuberculosis strains are Mycobacterium tuberculosis MG003 and R2092 but the predominant strain was MG003. The degree of the genetic evolution of the non-MTB Mycobacterium kansassii strain FDAARGOS 1534 was 75.4%. Conclusion: The two major strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) circulating in Bayelsa State are MTB MG003 and MTB R2092;MTB MG003 was predominant. The non-tuberculosis species are Mycobacteriode abscesses and Mycobacterium kansasii.

Ecology and Species Composition of Fresh Water Snails in Amassoma Community and Niger Delta University Campuses, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

The knowledge about the population dynamics of freshwater snail intermediate host and their roles in disease transmission is little known in Bayelsa State. This study investigated the species composition of fresh water snail intermediate host in Amassoma community and the Niger Delta University Campuses during August 2019-October 2019 across five locations (Main campus Hostel, E.T.F Building, Ogboebi-Ama, Efeke-Ama, Ogbopina). Snails were collected from the water bodies with the aid of a scooping net and hand picking. The morphological identification of the snail intermediate host followed standard procedures. From the result, five hundred and seventy-one freshwater snails belonging to four genera and five species were recorded. The presence of Lymnae and Bulinus in the locations highlights foci for fascioliasis and schistosomiasis. The presence of Melanoides spp. is novel in Bayelsa State. The public health implications of these snails have called for timely control intervention.

Public-Private Partnership Arrangement in <i>In-Situ</i>Housing for Slum Rehabilitation in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

The provision of decent accommodation is a major challenge to government in the developing nations. It is a common phenomenon in the urban centres of the developing nations where most houses are in deplorable conditions. The houses are overcrowded with little or no air space between them. There is no basic sanitation in the urban centres as they lack flush toilet, some of the few available flush toilets are piped into seasonal streams, most houses lack defined kitchen areas and healthy sewage disposal method. The cities lack good access roads and functional drainage system with a common practice of environmentally-unfriendly solid waste management methods that create various health challenges to urban dwellers. The aim of the study is to show how in-situ Housing method of slum rehabilitation can be applied through Public/Private Partnership to upgrade houses within a major slum area in Yenagoa. This shall be done with an agreement between the property owners, Real Estate investors and the state government. Basic Research Methodology was applied using questionnaire, direct observation and personal interview techniques to collect data. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques were applied to analyse data through the use of tables and charts. The findings in the study showed that poor housing condition seriously degrade the environmental quality of the study area. The standard of living in the area is very poor as the people lack access to decent accommodation, basic sanitation and social amenities.

Cross-Sectional Study of Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS Co-Infections among Patients Attending Directly Observed Treatment Centers in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Introduction: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) infects about one quarter of the global population and is transmitted via aerosols by coughing, sneezing, etc. Some socio-behavioral factors may predispose an individual to the disease. Methodology: The study used a cross-sectional design with random stratified sampling technique. Sputum samples from suspected TB patients totaling 600 were obtained from patients attending directly observed treatment (DOTs) centers from different local government areas in Bayelsa. The sputum samples were examined for tuberculosis using the Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique and Gene Xpert molecular method while HIV/AIDS tests were carried out with EDTA blood using the Alere HIV12 test kit and others. Results: The Prevalence of TB by Gene Xpert was 294 (49.0%) and by AFB 217 (36.1%), while TB/HIV co-infection was 94 (32.0%), RRMTB was 34 (11.9%) and HIV 249 (41.5%). Prevalence by age group showed the 20 - 39 years had the highest prevalence of TB 98 (47.0%), TB/HIV 35 (47.0%), RRMTB 17 (48.0%) and HIV 90 (57.0%). By gender the male had slightly higher prevalence of TB 109 (52.0%), TB/HIV 51 (54.0%), RRMTB 20 (56.0%) and HIV 126 (51.0%) than the female. Prevalence among smokers and alcoholics and subjects who engaged in both habits had high prevalence TB 109 (37.0%), TB/HIV 14 (40.0%), RRMTB 14 (40.0%) and HIV 72 (29.0%). For educational status those with tertiary and secondary education had similar high prevalence and for occupation, the self-employed and civil servants had similar elevated prevalence. The prevalence by local government area showed that Yenegoa had the highest with TB 235 (80.0%), TB/HIV 72 (76.6%), RRMTB 24 (68.5%) and HIV 202 (81.2%). Conclusion: An increase in the development of resistance by M. tuberculosis also contributes to the persistence of the disease as well as some socio-economic factors.

Impact of Land Reclamation on the Vegetal Cover of Bayelsa State, Nigeria

The study examined the impact of land reclamation on vegetal cover in Bayelsa State.For the purpose of this study,both quantitative and quali­tative research methods were adopted.Field observations,questionnaire survey and landsat imagery of land cover changes in the year 1986 and 2018 were generated from the global ground cover facility stream.The time series study design and supervised classification of the image processing were adopted to determine the impact of land reclamation on vegetal cover of the study area.It was therefore recommended that recovery of land will make strategic urban planning initiatives sustainable in overcrowded areas and institutions should also put in place laws and strategies to regulate rec­lamation activities across the region and also geo-spatial skills should be put in place to help quantify the dynamics,trends and rate of reclamation induced land cover change in the environment.