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Infectious diseases remain a global health challenge as result of antimicrobial resistance. The use of natural products has revealed a potential source of alternative antimicrobial agents. The aim of this research was to evaluate the antibacterial activities and the phytoconstituents of Tragia brevipes against pathogenic bacteria. The crude extracts of leaves, roots and stems were obtained using polar and non-polar solvents and the antibacterial assay was performed using agar well diffusion and disc diffusion methods. The results showed that in the leaves and roots, flavonoids, saponins, glycosides, phenols, tannins and resins were present whereas in the stem, flavonoids, glycosides and resins were present. Only S. aureus ATCC43300, E. coli ATCC25922 did not show inhibition zone to all plant parts, P. aeruginosa ATTCC27853 showed the highest inhibition zone compared to other bacteria. It was observed that methanolic extract has a great potential antimicrobial activity, followed by distilled water extracts. The combination of plant extracts showed a marked synergic effect. The two way ANOVA showed a statistical difference in the mean zone of inhibition obtained among bacteria and leaves (f = 2.3478, p < 0.05), roots (f = 2.3478, p < 0.05) whereas stem extracts difference was between solvents and tested bacteria (f = 3.4923, p < 0.05). T. brevipes could be a potential candidate in bacterial infection treatment as a source of novel antimicrobial agents. Further studies are recommended to isolate the active ingredients and investigate pharmacological properties. [ J Adv Biotechnol Exp Ther 2023; 6(1.000): 140-148]

Background: Dental caries remains a public health threat of concern among children. About 2.3 billion people are affected by dental caries, of which 530 million are children globally. Objective: This study was carried out to identify sugar fermenting bacteria in the oral cavity and their antibiotic susceptibility pattern, assess the association with sugar fermenter bacteria and dental caries and evaluate dental caries outcomes among children. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted between October 2021 and February 2022 at Ruhengeri Referral Hospital. About 136 oral swab samples were collected from children with and without dental caries at 1:1 ratio. The samples were put in Stuart sterile container and transported to INES-clinical microbiology laboratory for microbial identification. Logistic regression analysis of demographic characteristics was performed to study the relationship between demographic variables and dental caries. Chi-square test was performed for the association between variables. Results: About 67.6% were male, while children of age 7–9 years (64.7%) dominated the age groups. Lactobacilli spp (15.29%) and Streptococcus mutans (12.94%) were the most predominant microorganisms observed in the oral cavity among children with dental caries. The S. mutans (x2 = 27.03, P < 0.00001, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.2901–0.5785), S. aureus (x2 = 34.59, P < 0.00001, 95% CI = 0.3541–0.6292), Enterobacter aerogenes (x2 = 13.5, P = 0.000239, 95% CI = 0.151–0.4622), Serratia marcescens (x2 = 11.64, P = 0.00645, 95% CI = 0.1275–0.4418) and Klebsiella pneumonia (x2 = 13.51, P = 0.000237, 95% CI = 0.1511–0.4623) were significantly associated with dental caries. Teeth loss (x2 = 51.04, P < 0.00001, 95% CI = 0.4757–0.7205), teeth pain (x2 = 5.05, P = 0.0246, 95% CI = 0.0249–0.33499), and infection (x2 = 4.73, P = 0.02964, 95% CI = 0.0186–0.3441) were dental outcomes associated with tooth decay. Ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, and amoxicillin were the most sensitive antibiotics, while vancomycin and chloramphenicol were the most resistant. Conclusion: Sugar consumption favours the growth of sugar fermenter bacteria that cause dental caries among children. Dental caries is associated with adverse oral health outcomes among children. Oral health education is recommended for children. Parents are advised to reduce the consumption of sugary food for their children for oral health safety.

Introduction: Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is a global health concern during pregnancy. It accounts for 2%–15% of pregnant women globally. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of ASB, the leading cause of ASB during pregnancy, and the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of bacteria associated with ASB. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from September to December 2021 at Muhoza Health Centre. About 142 pregnant women without symptoms of urinary tract infections were recruited. The urine sample collected was put in a sterile Stuart plastic container and transported to INES Ruhengeri clinical microbiology for bacterial identification. The structured interview was conducted to assess factors associated with ASB among women. Logistic regression analysis was performed to test the relationship between demographic characteristics and ASB, while a Chi-square test (x2) was performed to test for association with ASB and other determinants considered in this study. Results: About 70.40% of participants had ASB. Pregnant women in the second trimester (28.16%) and first trimester (25.35%) were the most affected, while women aged 24–29 (28.16%) were the most affected. Escherichia coli (27.6%) and Klebsiella pneumonia (23.8%) were the predominant isolated bacteria in the urine and was observed to be the most coloniser of the urinary tract throughout all the pregnancy trimesters. Among demographic characteristics, urban residence (P = 0.005, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.717–4.160), primary education (P < 0.00001, 95% CI = 15.390–19.310), ordinary education (P < 0.00001, 95% CI = 16.550–20.455) and advanced level education (P < 0.00001, 95% CI = 17.194–20.650) were statistically significant to contribute to ASB. Hygiene (x2 = 6.81, P = 0.009) was significantly associated with ASB. K. pneumonia and Staphylococcus saprophyticus were the most resistant bacteria to selected antibiotics. Conclusion: ASB may be an epidemic in pregnancy. Early diagnosis of ASB is recommended in early pregnancy to prevent pregnancy-associated complications.

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the inflammatory disorders of the urinary tract caused by the abnormal growth of pathogens. Urinary tract infection is known to cause short-term morbidity in terms of fever, dysuria, and lower abdominal pain (LAP) and may result in permanent scarring of the kidney. The presence of bacteria in the urine, known as bacteriuria, may be indicative of infection or colonization of the urinary tract, but it may also be due to bacterial contamination occurring during collection of a specimen. Aim: The present study was done in order to identify the bacteria causing urinary tract infections from female patients attending Ruhengeri Referral Hospital. Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted on female patients who were attending Ruhengeri Referral Hospital in a period of two months from October to November 2021. Urine samples were collected from patients who were requested to urinary test with respect to standard procedures. Samples were processed and analyzed at INES-Ruhengeri microbiology laboratory where gram stain and culture as well as biochemical test were performed in order to make microbial identification. From the results patients who were found with UTI, their structured questionnaire was taken into consideration in order to determine the associated risk factors. The data on risk factors were collected using questionnaire that were designed in the preferred language. Data were collected and analysed using statistical package for social science, Microsoft excel, and the presentation of results was done using tables. Results: The outcomes of the study indicated that E.coli, K. pneumonia, P. aeruginosa, Enterobacter ssp and S. saprophyticus were isolated from patients urine sample where E. coli is more present in patients sample where it has been found at 60%(18) samples. The least isolated bacteria in patient’s samples are Enterrobacter spp and S. saprophyticus at frequency of 2(6.7) per each bacterium. The risk factor associated with urinary tract infection in female patients attended Ruhengeri referral hospital in a period of study, the results indicated that douching in secret parts twice a day is associated with urinary tract infection with P-value equivalent to 0.001. Conclusion: This study was intended to assess the urinary tract infection among female patients attending Ruhengeri referral hospital. The study findings indicated that E.coli, K. pneumonia, P. aeruginosa, Enterobacter ssp and S. saprophyticus are more likely to be found in urinary tract of female patients. The study finding has indicated also that poor hygienic life style increases the risk of being infected by urinary tract infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) occur when bacteria enter the urethra from the skin or rectum and infect the bladder, causing symptoms. UTIs are becoming increasingly multidrugresistant, with some drugs no longer effective in treatment. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), honey has been shown to have high osmotic pressure and high acidity that prevent the multiplication of bacteria. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of honey on bacteria isolated from urine samples collected from patients with UTI's attending Ruhengeri Referral Hospital. Methodology: Urine samples were collected in sterile containers at Ruhengeri Referral Hospital and transported to the microbiology laboratory at the Ruhengeri Institute of Higher Education (INES Ruhengeri). Two types of honey, raw and processed were used as antimicrobial agents on bacteria isolated from UTIs. Various methods were used to isolate and identify bacterial isolates, including culture on solid medium, gram staining, and biochemical tests. Results: The most commonly isolated bacterium was S. aureus (33.3%) which is in the second group of bacteria susceptible to honey, followed by P. aeruginosa (13.8%) and CoNS (13.8%). E. coli, K. pneumonia, and Streptococcus spp. each accounted for 11.2%. The former and the latter were the most susceptible bacteria to natural honey honey (mIZ = 36 ±2.83; ±4.24 mm, respectively), while E. aerogenes was the least isolated bacterium at 5.5% and the least susceptible to honey. Conclusion: Honey was showed to exhibit an antimicrobial effect against all bacteria isolated from the UTI, suggesting natural honey as a remedy in controlling urinary tract bacterial infection. Further studies are needed to evaluate its capacity compared to classical antibiotics currently used to treat bacteria in UTIs. The practical way to use honey to get targeted area is also an interested point that need to be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]