Seroprevalence and clinico-epidemiological correlates of hepatitis C viral antibodies at an antenatal booking clinic of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria.

PURPOSE: This was to determine the sero-prevalence of hepatitis C viral (HCV) antibodies in pregnant women attending the first antenatal clinic and assess the epidemiologic correlates of women anti-HCV positive. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study which used in vitro diagnostic test kits to detect anti-HCV antibodies. Women attending their first antenatal clinic were recruited at the antenatal clinic of Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State, Nigeria. Seropositive women had liver enzymes assessed, and screening for hepatitis B surface antigen and Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) was done. RESULTS: Eight out of 205 women were anti-HCV positive. The prevalence of hepatitis C infection was 3.9 %. The mean age of the women was 28.9 ± 2.1 years. Most (50 %) anti-HCV positive women had tertiary level education. Though health workers made up 3.5 % of the participants, they constituted 25 % women with anti-HCV antibody. Awareness of HCV infection had no impact on the rate of infection. Multiple sexual partners (P = 0.71), blood transfusion (0.64) and female circumcision (P = 1.00) were not significant risks of infection. 2 (1 %) women had hepatitis B co-infection and 1 (12.5 %) woman had both HCV antibody and HIV co-infection. CONCLUSION: Despite the 3.9 % prevalence, routine screening for hepatitis C virus infection in pregnancy is unjustified. Risk-based screening using locally prevailing risk factors with antenatal monitoring and postpartum treatment of women with hepatitis C antibodies is recommended.

A clinical note on Haemophilus aegyptius infection in sheep in Nigeria.

An outbreak of Haemophilus aegyptius infection in a livestock farm located in Maya, Oyo State, Nigeria is reported. Diagnosis was based on clinical signs of central nervous system disturbance, histopathological findings of meningoencephalomyelitis, acute multifocal necrotising purulent hepatitis and the isolation of Haemophilus aegyptius from the spinal cord. Other diseases that can cause nervous disturbance are discussed.

Microbial contaminants found in low egg passage rabies vaccine used in Nigeria.

Bacteriological and mycological examinations (cultural and biochemical characteristics) identified 4 pathogenic organisms as contaminants in 6 out of 7 LEP batch 20 rabies vaccines produced 1990 in Nigeria. Cryptococcus neoformans and Penicillium spp. were isolated from 5 vaccine samples, while one sample additionally also contained Rhizopus and Pseudomonas. One vaccine sample was negative for microbial contaminants. Improper conditions of vaccine production and storage are discussed.

Biotypes and sensitivity screening Yersinia enterocolitica as an infective agent in man and swine in Nigeria.

Diarrhoeic faecal samples from 210 humans and 192 swine were screened for Yersinia enterocolitica in 1990. Ten and 8 Y. enterocolitica strains were isolated from pig and man, respectively. The isolates were found to belong to Wauter's biotypes 1, 2, 3 and 4. Biotype 2 was isolated mainly from human stool samples. Biotype 3 was found only in swine while biotypes 1 and 4 were isolated from both man and swine. All the 18 strains showed varying degrees of sensitivity to antibiotics used in this investigation. The organisms were consistent in their resistance to ampicillin and penicillin.

An outbreak of listeriosis in cattle in Nigeria.

An outbreak of listeriosis in a herd of cattle associated with still birth, abortion, nervous signs and death is reported. Typical micro abscesses in the brain were not observed on histopathology but a marked purulent meningitis was seen and Listeria monocytogenes was isolated on culture.