Utibeima Udo Essiet

Seriki AT, et al. Infect Chemother. 2025 Nov;57:e63. https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2025.0119

Seriki AT, et al. Infect Chemother. 2025 Jun;57:e40. https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2025.0040

Lawal ST, et al. Infect Chemother. 2025 Mar;57:e15. https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2024.0108

Background: Sepsis is a major cause of death among children in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although studies have suggested that the dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is associated with sepsis, there are limited data on the microbiota profile of children with sepsis in low- and middle-income countries such as Nigeria. Methods: To address this gap, this study was conducted to examine the gut microbiota of four children (S2, S4, S6, and S8) with sepsis and two apparently healthy controls (C2 and C4). DNA was extracted from stool samples, and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were used to determine the microbial composition of the microbiota. Results: A significant reduction in the abundance of the phylum Bacteroidetes was observed in sepsis cases, while the family Enterobacteriaceae was dominant, with a relative abundance of 29.7%, 36.9%, 47.4%, and 34.6% in S2, S4, S6, and S8, respectively. Pathogenic bacterial species such as Megasphaera spp., Sutterella spp., and Clostridium difficile were dominant among some of the sepsis samples. The bacterial communities of the microbiota of participants with sepsis largely diverged from those of the controls, with a remarkable decrease in diversity. Conclusion: This study highlights an alteration in the gut microbiota of children presenting with sepsis. Notably, there was a reduction in beneficial commensals and an increase in potential pathogenic bacterial species. Since sepsis remains a major public health challenge, there is an urgent need to explore the gut microbiota for possible intervention.

Background and Aims: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important pathogens of public health concern and a leading cause of nosocomial infections. In this study, we evaluated the effect of routinely used disinfectants in hospitals for surface decontamination on biofilm-forming S. aureus. Materials and Methods: forty-eight S. aureus isolates were phenotypically evaluated for biofilm formation using the Tissue Culture Plate (TCP) technique. Effect of disinfectants (Dettol®, Izal®, Jik® and Savlon®) on biofilm was tested and time-kill kinetics evaluated. PCR was used to confirm the identity of S. aureus using species-specific primers. Results: biofilm formation assay revealed that 15 (31.2%) of the isolates formed biofilm with 7 (14.5%) and 8 (16.6%) considered as strong and moderate biofilm formers, respectively. Biofilm formation was time-dependent (p<0.0001). Jik® was significantly effective (p<0.0001) as it disrupted biofilm formed in all 15 (100%) isolates, followed by Izal® 13 (86.6%), Savlon® 11 (73.3%) and Dettol® 9 (60%). Time-kill kinetics of the four disinfectants revealed Dettol®, Jik® and Savlon® achieved total (100%), (7 log10) lethality against isolates within 1 h contact time while Izal® attained complete lethality at 6 h contact time. Conclusions: of the four disinfectants evaluated Jik®, a chlorine- based formulation, was more effective in destroying biofilmforming S. aureus. The need to use effective disinfectants in sanitization is imperative to facilitate the control and prevention of hospital and community-acquired infections.

Background: Enterococci are opportunistic pathogens and are one of the most important bacteria in hospital-acquired infections. Their resistance to antibiotics such as vancomycin has led to life-threatening and difficult-to-treat nosocomial infections. The true prevalence in clinical settings in Nigeria is not well known due to the lack of a comprehensive antibiotic surveillance system. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in clinical infections in Nigeria. Methods: Databases (PubMed, African Journal Online, and Google scholar) were searched following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statements for articles reporting VRE prevalence, and were published before August 5, 2020. Data from the studies were extracted and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA 3.0), respectively. The pooled prevalence of VRE was estimated with the random-effects model and the 95% confidence interval (CI). The heterogeneity level was assessed using Cochran Q and I ² tests. Results: A total of 35 articles were scanned for eligibility, among which 7 were included in the study after fulfilling the eligibility criteria. The studies analyzed a total of 832 enterococci isolates and 90 VRE strains. The prevalence of Enterococcus faecium and E faecalis in this study are 361 (59.3%) and 248 (40.7%), respectively, among which 41 (63.1%) of the E faecium and 24 (36.9%) of the E faecalis were vancomycin resistant. The pooled prevalence of VRE was estimated at (95% CI; 10.0–53.9%; I ² = 93.50%; P < .001). The highest prevalence of VRE was reported from western Nigeria, 14.6% (95% CI; I ² = 97.27; P < .001). Conclusion: The prevalence of VRE in Nigeria according to the reports from this study is relatively high. The report of this study should help policymakers to put in place measures that will help curb the spread of VRE and associated resistant genes to other important clinical pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus.