Taming the Boys for Global Good: Contraceptive Strategy to Stop Malaria Transmission.

Transmission of human malaria parasites (Plasmodium spp.) by Anopheles mosquitoes is a continuous process that presents a formidable challenge for effective control of the disease. Infectious gametocytes continue to circulate in humans for up to four weeks after antimalarial drug treatment, permitting prolonged transmission to mosquitoes even after clinical cure. Almost all reported malaria cases are transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, and therefore decreasing the rate of Plasmodium transmission from humans to mosquitoes with novel transmission-blocking remedies would be an important complement to other interventions in reducing malaria incidence.

The phyllosphere of Nigerian medicinal plants, Euphorbia lateriflora and Ficus thonningii is inhabited by a specific microbiota.

The microbiota of medicinal plants is known to be highly specific and can contribute to medicinal activity. However, the majority of plant species have not yet been studied. Here, we investigated the phyllosphere composition of two common Nigerian medicinal plants, Euphorbia lateriflora and Ficus thonningii, by a polyphasic approach combining analyses of metagenomic DNA and isolates. Microbial abundance estimated via qPCR using specific marker gene primers showed that all leaf samples were densely colonized, with up to 108 per gram of leaf, with higher bacterial and fungal abundance than Archaea. While no statistically significant differences between both plant species were found for abundance, amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA and ITS genes revealed distinct microbiota compositions. Only seven of the 27 genera isolated were represented on both plants, e.g. dominant Sphingomonas spp., and numerous members of Xanthomonadaceae and Enterobacteriaceae. The most dominant fungal families on both plants were Cladosporiaceae, Mycosphaerellaceae and Trichosphaeriaceae. In addition, 225 plant-specific isolates were identified, with Pseudomonadota and Enterobacteriaceae being dominant. Interestingly, 29 isolates are likely species previously unknown, and 14 of these belong to Burkholderiales. However, a high proportion, 56% and 40% of the isolates from E. lateriflora and F. thonningii, respectively, were characterized as various Escherichia coli. The growth of most of the bacterial isolates was not influenced by extractable secondary metabolites of plants. Our results suggest that a specific and diverse microbial community inhabits the leaves of both E. lateriflora and F. thonningii, including potentially new species and producers of antimicrobials.

Antimicrobial activity of extracts and fractions of Euphorbia lateriflora (Schum. and Thonn) on microbial isolates of the urinary tract.

Euphorbia lateriflora is used in ethnomedicine for treating several conditions, including genital and urinary tract infections (UTI). Although ethnobotanical claims support its use in therapy, there is limited evidence on its effect on UTI, even though UTI remains a public health problem in Nigeria especially due to increasing antimicrobial resistance. We investigated the activity of E. lateriflora extracts and fractions on bacterial and fungal isolates from symptomatic urinary tract infections and vaginosis respectively. Qualitative phytochemical screening was conducted on dried pulverised leaves. Successive gradient extraction was carried out with the aid of a soxhlet extractor with n-Hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol respectively. Bioactivity guided fractionation was conducted on the ethyl acetate extract using Vacuum Liquid Chromatography. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing by disc diffusion was conducted on test isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates to extracts and fractions was done using the agar well diffusion technique. Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) and Minimum Biocidal Concentrations (MBC) were determined by agar and broth dilutions respectively. Time-kill assay of the ethyl acetate extract was conducted using the viable count technique. Phytochemicals present include saponins, tannins and flavonoids. The majority of isolates used in this study were multidrug resistant. Extracts and fractions of E. lateriflora produced appreciable zones of inhibition on both antibiotic susceptible and resistant bacteria with MICs of 6.25 mg/mL and MBC ranging from 6.25-50 mg/mL. Bactericidal activity of the ethyl acetate extract was concentration and time dependent with 100% kill at 25 mg/mL after 6 h for E. coli and 2 h for C. albicans. Euphorbia lateriflora contains phytochemicals which possess antimicrobial activity on antibiotic resistant bacteria and has potential in the development of chemotherapeutics for bacterial and fungal infections.

Self-medication with antibiotics for the treatment of menstrual symptoms in Southwest Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Self-medication with antibiotics is an important factor contributing to the development of bacterial antibiotic resistance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics for the treatment of menstrual symptoms among university women in Southwest Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was administered to female undergraduate and graduate students (n = 706) at four universities in Southwest Nigeria in 2008. The universities were selected by convenience and the study samples within each university were randomly selected cluster samples. The survey was self-administered and included questions pertaining to menstrual symptoms, analgesic and antibiotic use patterns, and demographics. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. RESULTS: The response rate was 95.4%. Eighty-six percent (95% CI: 83-88%) of participants experienced menstrual symptoms, and 39% (95% CI: 36-43%) reported using analgesics to treat them. Overall, 24% (95% CI: 21-27%) of participants reported self-medicated use of antibiotics to treat the following menstrual symptoms: cramps, bloating, heavy bleeding, headaches, pimples/acne, moodiness, tender breasts, backache, joint and muscle pain. Factors associated with this usage were: lower levels of education (Odds Ratio (OR): 2.8, 95% CI: 1.1-7.1, p-value: 0.03); non-science major (OR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.03-2.50, p-value: 0.04); usage of analgesics (OR: 3.17, 95% CI: 2.07-4.86, p-value: <0.001); and mild to extreme heavy bleeding (OR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.01-2.67, p-value: 0.05) and pimples/acne (OR: 1.57, 95% CI: 0.98-2.54, p-value: 0.06). Ampicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and metronidazole were used to treat the most symptoms. Doctors or nurses (6%, 95% CI: 4-7%), friends (6%, 95% CI: 4-7%) and family members (7%, 95% CI: 5-8%) were most likely to recommend the use of antibiotics for menstrual symptoms, while these drugs were most often obtained from local chemists or pharmacists (10.2%, 95% CI: 8-12%). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first formal study to report that approximately 1 out of 4 university women surveyed in Southwest Nigeria self-medicate with antibiotics to treat menstrual symptoms. This practice could provide monthly, low-dose exposures to antibiotics among users. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the impacts of self-medication on student health.