Molecular characterization of multi drug resistant Escherichia coli isolates at a tertiary hospital in Abuja, Nigeria.

Infections caused by multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli cause significant morbidity and mortality especially in developing countries. In this study, we describe the molecular characteristics of E. coli isolated from clinical specimens and the patients' outcomes. Phenotypic methods were used in the identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of E. coli from clinical specimens from a tertiary hospital in Abuja, Nigeria. Whole genome sequencing was used to describe the antimicrobial resistance genes, serotypes, sequence types/clonal complexes, and mobile genetic elements. The mean age of the patients was 20.3 years with 70.1% females and majority of isolates 75% from urine, 21% from blood cultures, and 3% each from cerebrospinal fluid and endo-cervical swabs. Of the 107 non-duplicate E. coli isolates, 101 (94.3%) were resistant to ampicillin, 95 (88.8%) to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, 86 (80.4%) to ceftriaxone, 60 (56.1%) to gentamicin, and eight (7.5%) to meropenem. There were 102 (95.3%) isolates that were multi-drug resistant (MDR). Expression of Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase (ESBL) phenotype was detected in 54 (50%) and blaCTX-M-15 genes detected in 75 (70.1%) isolates. The carbapenemase genes blaNDM-1 and blaNDM-5 were detected in six (5.6%), while the AmpC gene- blaCMY-2, was detected in seven (6.5%) isolates. Two (1.9%) isolates simultaneously harboured the blaOXA-1, blaCMY-2, blaCTX-M-15, and blaNDM-5 genes. In total, 35 sequence types (STs) were found with the majority being ST131 (n = 23; 21.5%). The most common serotype was O25:H4 associated with all 23 strains of ST131, followed by O1:H6/ST648 (n = 6). The ST410, ST671, and ST101 strains displayed phenotypic resistance to wide array of antibiotic classes and harbored high numbers of antibiotic resistance genes via in-silico analysis. The ST410 strain in particular harbored a higher number of antibiotic resistance genes and was phenotypically resistant to a wider array of antibiotics. Four pairs of isolates were closely related with three isolates (ST131, ST38, ST652) having a pairwise SNP difference of zero. 71/72 75/76 52/14. The MDR E. coli lineages circulating in this setting pose a clinical and public health threat as they can hinder effective prevention and management of infections. The genetic diversity and MDR E. coli with the emergence of ST410 and ST101 clones is concerning because of the potential for rapid dissemination in hospitals and communities- further increasing the problems of antibiotic resistance. Continuous routine surveillance of E. coli infections for AMR in hospitals becomes imperative, aimed at development of effective antimicrobial stewardship programs, facilitating prudent use of antimicrobial agents, and limiting dissemination of resistant strains.

Evaporation rates and pollutants emission from heated cooking oils and influencing factors.

The heating of edible oils during cooking activities promotes the emissions of pollutants that have adverse impacts on the health of humans. This study investigated the evaporative emissions of fifteen (15) commonly used cooking oils. Split-plot experimental design under the response surface methodology framework was used to study singular and interaction effects of influencing parameters (temperature, volume of cooking oil and time) on cooking oil evaporation rate and pollutants emissions (i.e. Particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter ≤1 µm (PM1.0); ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5); ≤10 µm (PM10); Total Suspended Particulate (TSP); Total Volatile Organic Compounds -TVOCs, and Carbon Monoxide- CO) on a groundnut oil sample that served as a case study. Obtained values of density, viscosity, kinematic viscosity, smoke, flash and fire points were; 873-917 kg/m3; 1.12-9.7 kg/ms; 2.4-3.4 m2/s; 96 -100 °C; 124-179 °C and 142-186 °C, respectively. The role of temperature as the most significant parameter influencing the rate of evaporative emissions was established. Evaporation rate and pollutants emission from unrefined samples were the highest. The restricted maximum likelihood (REML) analysis results suggested a strong relationship between the actual values and the predicted values as R-squared values obtained were greater than 0.8 for all the responses. These results suggest that minimal rates of evaporation and pollutants emission from heating cooking oils can be achieved with a high volume of the cooking oil at moderate temperature levels.