Prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility test and associated factors of Salmonella and Shigella in ready-to-eat fruit juices and salads in Mekelle, northern Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Food borne diseases is a challenging problem nowadays. Salmonella and Shigella species are great concern of food-born outbreaks. Thus, this study was aimed to assess the prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility test and associated factors of Salmonella and Shigella species in fruit juices and salads.

METHODS

A community based cross sectional study design was carried out on 50 juice houses from December to March 2020 in Mekelle. One hundred fifty samples were collected aseptically from the juice houses for laboratory analysis. Information related to risk factors was obtained using a structured questionnaire. In the laboratory, samples were homogenized using peptone water and incubated overnight for enrichment. Then, Salmonella and Shigella species were isolated on Salmonella-Shigella agar and Xylose Lysine Deoxycholate agar. Disc diffusion method was used to perform antimicrobial susceptibility test. Using SPSS (version 22) package, descriptive statistics and Chi square test (χ2) were used to analyze the data, and p < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

RESULT

The overall prevalence of Salmonella and Shigella species was 41/150 (27.33%; 95% CI: 20.20 - 34.46) with 33 (22%) Salmonella spp. and 8(5.33%) Shigella spp. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests of both Salmonella and Shigella spp.showed high resistance against ampicillin (100%), tetracycline (63.6 and 62.5%, respectively) and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (100%). Accessibility of fruits to flies and dust had statistical association (p = 0.021) with occurrence of Salmonell a and/or Shigella spp.

CONCLUSION

The overall prevalence of Salmonella and Shigella spp. was found to be significant. The resistant rate of isolates against ampicillin, tetracycline and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid was high. Storage sites for fruits should be inaccessible to flies and dust. Therefore, routine monitoring of juice houses should be promoted and regular evaluation of bacterial resistance pattern should be done for selective antimicrobial therapy. Furthermore, consistent training of juice makers on food safety and hygiene should be implemented by the concerned body.

Pax3 loss of function delays tumour progression in kRAS-induced zebrafish rhabdomyosarcoma models

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a soft tissue cancer that arises in skeletal muscle due to mutations in myogenic progenitors that lead to ineffective differentiation and malignant transformation. The transcription factors Pax3 and Pax7 and their downstream target genes are tightly linked with the fusion positive alveolar subtype, whereas the RAS pathway is usually involved in the embryonal, fusion negative variant. Here, we analyse the role of Pax3 in a fusion negative context, by linking alterations in gene expression in pax3a/pax3b double mutant zebrafish with tumour progression in kRAS-induced rhabdomyosarcoma tumours. Several genes in the RAS/MAPK signalling pathway were significantly down-regulated in pax3a/pax3b double mutant zebrafish. Progression of rhabdomyosarcoma tumours was also delayed in the pax3a/pax3b double mutant zebrafish indicating that Pax3 transcription factors have an unappreciated role in mediating malignancy in fusion negative rhabdomyosarcoma.

Patients' Delay in Seeking Health Care for Tuberculosis Diagnosis in East Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia

AbstractPatients' delay in seeking diagnosis is a major problem in the management of tuberculosis (TB). Relative to the burden of TB, there is lack of data on the magnitude of delays in seeking care and why patients fail to seek early care at health facilities in Ethiopia. A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April to July 2013 in East Gojjam Zone, Amhara, Ethiopia, to assess patients' delays and associated factors in TB patients. Using simple random sampling, 605 (327 male and 278 female) participants were recruited. Of the total, 323 (53.4%) TB patients were delayed in seeking health care (median = 45 days; mean = 78.5 days). The following independent variables were associated with patient delays: age ≥ 45 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 8.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.71-16.23, P < 0.001); working as a farmer (AOR = 4.18, 95% CI = 1.44-12.11, P = 0.009); prior visit to holy water sites, traditional healers, and/or private drug shops (AOR = 69.11, 95% CI =13.91-343.29, P < 0.001; AOR = 14.74, 95% CI = 1.43-152.31, P = 0.024; AOR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.22-3.59, P = 0.007, respectively); poor knowledge about TB (AOR = 2.79, 95% CI = 1.74-4.92, P = 0.006), and extrapulmonary TB (AOR = 14.69, 95% CI = 8.21-26.26, P < 0.001). Generally, patients' delay in seeking care at health facilities was high (53.4%). Most of TB patients getting treatment from holy water (95.3%; 101/106) and traditional healers (84.6%; 11/13) were delayed. Therefore, for early seeking in modern health care, a combination of interventions is required to encourage TB patients.

Standard Operating Procedure Utilization for Tuberculosis Microscopy in Mekelle City, North Ethiopia

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to assess the utilization of standard operating procedures for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear microscopy.

METHODS

A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in select health institutions in Mekelle City, Ethiopia, from July 1, 2015, through August 30, 2015. Using a simple random sampling technique, 18 health facilities were included in the study. Data were collected using a standard checklist and entered into Epi Info version 3.5.4 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA) for editing. Analysis was done using SPSS version 20 (SPSS, Chicago, IL).

RESULTS

Of the 18 laboratory facilities, only seven (38.9%) had a legible AFB registration book. In three (16.7%) of the laboratories, heat fixation was not applied before adding primary staining reagent. In 12 (66.7%), the staining reagents had precipitates. Two laboratories had microscopes with mechanical stages that could not move freely on both axes. Seven (38.9%) of the laboratories reported samples to be negative before examining all required fields. Most laboratories, 16 (88.9%) and 17 (94.4%), respectively, did not run positive and negative controls after new batch reagent preparation.

CONCLUSIONS

Tuberculosis microscopy was found to be substandard with clear gaps in documentation, sample collection, and processing.

Isolation and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Staphylococcus aureus in patients with surgical site infection at Debre Markos Referral Hospital, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Background

Staphylococcus aureus, especially Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is a major health problem recognized as the most important nosocomial pathogen, often causing postoperative wound infections. Antibiotic resistance by MRSA has grown to be common, and resistance to almost all antibiotics has been found among these strains. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and associated risk factors of S. aureus in patients with surgical site infections in an Ethiopian hospital.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 1, 2011 to March 30, 2012 among patients with surgical site infections at Debre Markos Referral Hospital, Debre Markos, Ethiopia. All wound swabs obtained from patients with surgical site infections during the study period were cultured on mannitol salt agar media which is selective for S. aureus. Isolated strains of S. aureus were tested for antibiotic susceptibility patterns using standard disc diffusion technique, and interpretation of resistance was done based on Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute criteria. Univariate and multivariable analyses were used to assess the risk factors.

Results

Of the 184 surgical patients who had developed surgical site infection, S. aureus was isolated from 73 (39.7%) cases. Out of the 73 isolates of S. aureus, 36 (49.7%) were MRSA. Among the study participants, prevalence of MRSA was found to be 19.6%. The clinical isolates showed >80% level of resistance to ampicillin, amoxicillin, penicillin G, erythromycin, gentamicin and cotrimoxazole whereas <50% level of resistance was observed against clindamycin, oxacillin, tetracycline and vancomycin. MRSA strains showed resistance ranging from 5.6% (vancomycin) to 100% (cotrimoxazole). Of the following risk factors: sex, age, pus consistency, duration of operation, type of surgery, ward and hospital stay, laparotomy type of surgery was identified as a risk factor for infection by S. aureus.

Conclusion

The prevalence of S. aureus and/or MRSA infection in surgical and gynaecology & obstetrics wards of Debre Markos Referral Hospital was found to be high. The majority of isolates were highly resistant to major antimicrobial agents.