Chika Ejikeugwu - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Chika Ejikeugwu

Lichen Secondary Metabolites, 2014

International Journal of Current Research in Biosciences and Plant Biology, 2016

Journal of Bacteriology & Parasitology, 2017

Journal of Advanced Veterinary and Animal Research, 2016

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 2016

Asian Journal of Applied Sciences, Oct 15, 2014

International Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, 2016

African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Nov 8, 2013

Garcinia kola Heckel (Bitter kola) are commonly used for medicinal purposes in most Nigerian rura... more Garcinia kola Heckel (Bitter kola) are commonly used for medicinal purposes in most Nigerian rural communities, because they are believed to possess some healing properties. The antibacterial activity of both neem and bitter kola was evaluated by agar well diffusion method against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Both neem and bitter kola leaf extracts in varying concentrations showed moderate antibacterial activity against the clinical pathogens. Cold water and hot water extracts showed better activity as compared to the methanol and ethanol extracts. Gram positive bacteria (S. aureus and S. pneumoniae) were more susceptible to the plant extracts than the Gram negative pathogens (K. pneumoniae and P. aeruginosa). The MICs of the plant extracts were determined at varying effectiveness of 25 and 12.5 mg/ml. The results obtained in this study give credence to the traditional use of neem and bitter kola in the treatment of infectious diseases in Nigerian rural communities.

Journal of Microbiology Research, 2014

The aim of this study was to determine the antibacterial activity of methanol and ethanol leaf ex... more The aim of this study was to determine the antibacterial activity of methanol and ethanol leaf extracts of Mangifera indica against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Antibacterial activity of the methanol and ethanol leave extracts of M. indica was determined by the agar well diffusion method at a concentration of 100 mg/ml while minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by the agar dilution technique. The results obtained in this study showed that the ethanol and methanol crude extracts of M. indica leafhad antibacterial activities and inhibited the test pathogens substantially. However, methanol extract produced better zones of inhibition than the ethanol extracts. The zones of inhibition of both extracts ranged between 10-16 mm. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the ethanol and methanol M. indica leaf was determined at 100 mg/ml and 50 mg/ml against all test isolates. In conclusion, this preliminary study has shown that M. indica possess potent antibacterial activity and this underscores the reason why the plant is used to meet a number of primary health care needs in most rural Nigerian communities.

The several antibacterial activities of wonderful kola plant (i.e. Buchholzia coriacea) has neces... more The several antibacterial activities of wonderful kola plant (i.e. Buchholzia coriacea) has necessitated the need for a high-throughput and molecular characterization of all the bioactive components from the plant as a panacea to discovering bioactive compounds which could serve as lead compounds in developing potent and novel antibacterial agents. Microbial resistance to some available antimicrobial agents necessitates the need to search for newer antimicrobial agents that will not be easily amenable to the attack of resistant strains of microorganisms (many of which remain active even in the face of antimicrobial onslaught). This study investigates the phytochemical constituents and antibacterial activity of leaf extracts of wonderful kola on pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus strains. Antibacterial activity of the wonderful kola plant extract was evaluated by the agar well diffusion method to determine the zones of inhibition and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Phytochemica...

Drug resistant Escherichia coli persist in the intestinal flora of poultry birds, and these serve... more Drug resistant Escherichia coli persist in the intestinal flora of poultry birds, and these serve as route via which they can be transmitted directly to humans, thus contributing to the already growing crisis of antibiotic resistance. The purpose of this study was to determine the cloacal feacal carriage and occurrence of antibiotic resistant E. coli isolates from chicken fed with and without antibiotic supplemented feeds. Cloacal feacal swabs (n = 200) were aseptically obtained from two poultry farms in Abakaliki metropolis, Ebonyi state of Nigeria, and these were inoculated on MacConkey and cystinelactose-electrolyte-deficient (CLED) media and incubated at 37°C for 18 to 24 h. Suspected colonies of E. coli growing on the agar media were subcultured, purified and further characterized using standard microbiology techniques. Antibiogram was investigated using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method as per the clinical laboratory standards institute (CLSI) criteria. A total of 45 E. coli was isolated from the 200 cloacal feacal swab samples used for this study. Overall, 28% of E. coli were isolated from chicken fed with feed supplemented with antibiotics while only 17% of E. coli was isolated from chicken that received feed without antibiotics supplements. All the E. coli isolates showed varying rates of resistance and susceptibility to the tested antibiotics. Our results strongly reveal the occurrence of antibiotic resistant E. coli from chicken fed with and without antibiotic supplemented feeds. It is very critical that the continuous use of antibiotics in poultry production be strictly monitored, controlled and discouraged in order to contain the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria through poultry production.

Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences

Aim. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility ... more Aim. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility patterns of extended – spectrum b - Lactamase (ESBL) producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from three major diagnostic laboratories in Enugu State metropolis, Nigeria. Material and Methods. Clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae were obtained from urine, sputum and blood samples of patients attended diagnostic laboratories in Enugu metropolis. The isolates were subjected to susceptibility testing using Kirby and Bauer method of determining antimicrobial susceptibility and ESBL production was phenotypically determined using double disc synergy test.Results. A total of 300 clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae were isolated from three major diagnostic laboratories in Enugu namely Ambulin (100 urine samples), Mendex (100 blood sample) and Edisson (100 sputum samples) within a four month period (January – April 2009). ESBL production was determined among 300 isolates of Klebsiell...

that is of public health concern, and which is treated with available antibiotics. Jellof-rice, a... more that is of public health concern, and which is treated with available antibiotics. Jellof-rice, abacha, moimoi and zobo drinks are some ready-to-eat foods sold within the PRESCO campus of Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Abakaliki, Nigeria. These foods are commonly patronized by students and other unsuspecting visitors in this region, and they have been implicated in a handful of bacterial related infections in recent times. Random samples of the food items were collected from shops selling them, and these were analyzed microbiologically to determine the most prevalent organisms. Suspect isolates were identified and tested for antibiotic susceptibility profiles. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the commonest microbes isolated, and these showed varying rates of resistance and susceptibility to the tested drugs. Clindamycin, ampicillin and ofloxacin were less effective against the test organisms while gentamicin, erythromycin and ciprofloxacin showed substantial activity. The findings in this study showed that some ready-to-eat foods and zobo drinks sold within PRESCO campus of EBSU, Abakaliki, Nigeria were considerably contaminated with resistant pathogenic bacteria, hence, the need for constant monitoring of ready-to-eat foods in order to prevent the outbreak of food-borne illnesses in this region.

The objective of this research was to determine phenotypically the occurrence of carbapenemase en... more The objective of this research was to determine phenotypically the occurrence of carbapenemase enzymes and extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing Gram negative bacteria from some clinically important bacteria. Ninety nine clinical isolates comprising of Escherichia coli (n=40), Klebsiella pneumoniae (39) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=20) were used for this study. Susceptibility testing for all isolates was performed by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Imipenem and meropenem was the most effective antibiotic while sulphamethoxazole showed least antibacterial activity. ESBL was detected in 7.5 % E. coli and 33.3 % K. pneumoniae. None of the P. aeruginosa isolates in our study showed ESBL production. Carbapenemase production was detected in 12.5 % E. coli, 7.7 % K. pneumoniae and 15 % P. aeruginosa isolates. Plasmid curing experiment showed that the ESBL phenotypes in our study were both plasmid-borne and chromosomally-mediated. Five (5) out of the eight (8) positive ESBL iso...

European Journal of Medicinal Plants, 2015

American Journal of BioScience, 2013

Opportunistic infections including urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the predominant caus... more Opportunistic infections including urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the predominant cause of morbidity and mortality among HIV infected patients. Persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are prone to infection from non-pathogenic microbes in the environment than normal individuals; and this development has been greatly attributed to the weakened immune system of HIV infected patients which makes it difficult to protect the body against invading commensal organisms. In this study, midstream urine (MSU) samples from HIV infected patients who attended the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (FETHA), Ebonyi State, Nigeria for routine antiretroviral therapy were evaluated by microbiological analysis for uropathogens. Antibiogram was also investigated on all isolated uropathogens by the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. The uropathogens isolated from the MSU of HIV infected patients in this study were identified as: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis. S. aureus was the most prevalent isolated organism (n=34). This was followed by K. pneumoniae (n=17), E. coli (16) and P. mirabilis (n=8). All uropathogens produced varying rates of susceptibility and resistance patterns to the tested antibiotics. High sensitivity was observed with gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, ampicillin and amoxycillin-clavulanic acid. Cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefazolin, ceftriaxone, cefepime, and cefoxitin (which are all 3 rd -generation β-lactams) showed less efficacy against the uropathogens. This study draws attention to the increasing rate of UTIs amongst HIV infected patients in Abakaliki metropolis, Ebonyi State of Nigeria, and the resistance of uropathogens to some available antibiotics. Therefore, there is need to checkmate the menace through proper detection and treatment of affected individuals in order to improve the health status of PLWHA in this environment.

PLoS ONE, 2014

In this study, the presence of extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) producing organisms in aba... more In this study, the presence of extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) producing organisms in abattoirs, a non-hospital community was investigated. The presence of ESBL-producing phenotypes was confirmed by the Double Disc Synergy Test (DDST). Out of the 99 isolates screened for ESBL, 28 (28.3%) were confirmed positive. The positive isolates were characterised by using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time of flight Mass Spectrometry. 50% of the isolates were Pseudomonas spp., the rest were different species of Acinetobacter, Stenotrophomonas and Achromobacter. Pseudomonas monteilli and Pseudomonas putida were the most occurring in the intestine. The entire positive ESBL producers were subjected to plasmid curing to ascertain the location of the resistant marker. The result of the plasmid curing indicated that the resistant genes were chromosomally borne. The findings have therefore established the presence of ESBL producing organisms in the gut of animals from abattoirs and the table were the meat are sold, and its rate of occurrence is comparable to hospital ICUs. Abattoir communities could probably be a source of human infection with ESBL expressing pathogens and possible transfer to non-ESBL producers.

Burns, 2013

Resistance to antimicrobial agents such as carbapenems among enterobacteriacea has been increasin... more Resistance to antimicrobial agents such as carbapenems among enterobacteriacea has been increasing, especially in Klebsiella pneumonia that produces variety of enzymes including Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC). This study is the first report of its kind investigating the resistance to carbapenems among burns patients in Iran. During a 6-month period, 28 hospitalized burn patients who required to be placed on broad spectrum antibiotics were studied. Isolated species identified by routine biochemical test. Susceptibility testing for these species was performed by recommended the CLSI guidelines method. The tested antibiotics included cefotaxime, cefepime, aztreonam, imipenem, amoxicillin+clavulonic acid, gentamicin, amikacin, tobramycin, tetracycline, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and chloramphenicol. For determination of KPC in phenotypical forms, Modified Hodge Test was utilized as per CLSI recommendation. Thirty-five Klebsiella spp. were isolated from 28 hospitalized patients. Nineteen out of 35 Klebsiella isolates were resistant to imipenem and that all of them had positive KPC. Nine of imipenem resistant isolates were also resistant to all tested antibiotics. Mortality rate among patients with positive KPC was 33%. High rate of multi-drug resistant (MDR) strains in isolates with positive KPC is a major challenge in Iran and that it could cause an increase in both mortality and morbidity among burn patients. Thus, appropriate infection control measures and guidelines are needed to prevent such infections among burn patients.