African Journals Online
Journal of the Nigerian Association of Infection Control

Volume 3 No.1 2000
Abstracts

The Re- Emergence of Tuberculosis-A Warning To The Practicing dentist
G.A Agbelusi, O.O. sofola and Jeboda

SUMMARY
Recently, there has been an increase in the incidence of worldwide. TB is now the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent worldwide. In the developing countries, the problem of poverty,  overcrowding, homelessness, malnutrition and AIDS pandemic further complicates the picture. This resurgence has increased the likelihood of a dentist coming in contact with infectious TB thereby posing a risk of contacting the disease or passing it to other health care workers and patients. This paper reviews the epidemiology, microbiology and mode of transmission of TB with an emphasis on the oral health care setting, the problem of multidrug resistant TB and factors in diagnostic and treatment failure with their implication for dental care in Nigeria. The role of the dentist in diagnosis and case detection and the risks posed to the dental environment were noted.  Practical guidelines for cross-infection control
measures in the provision of oral health care in Nigeria as a developing country were highlighted.

Key words: Tuberculosis, practicing dentist, and infection control.

Burkholderia cepacia infection at A university Teaching Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria
O.O.Oduyebo, F.T.Ogunsola and T.O. Odugbemi

SUMMARY
Twenty five isolates of B. cepacia, representing 1.4% of all isolates, were obtained at the Microbiology Laboratory of a University Teaching Hospital in Lagos between January 1996 and December 1997. Identification of isolates was done using analytical profile index systems (Biomerieux, France) and sensitivity testing was by disc diffusion methods as recommended by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory standards Majority of these isolates (24 out of 25) were cultured from in-patients, with most isolates from specimens which came in from the paediatric wards.  Eighteen (72%) of the 25 isolates were obtained from blood, 4 (16%) were from urine and the remaining isolates were from wound d swab (1) and sputum (1).  Five (27.8%) of the blood isolates were obtained from neonates with symptoms and signs of septicaema, 8
(44.4%) from neonates without features of septicaemia while diagnosis of septicaemia was uncertain in the remaining 5 blood isolates also from neonates. Factors that appeared to predispose to infection included intravenous fluid administration, catheterisation and surgery. Twelve (48%) of the 25 isolates were found to produce beta-lactamase by starch paper technique. B.  Cepacia showed reduced sensitivity to commonly used antibiotics like gentamicin (0%) and co-trirnoxazole  (0%). Majority of the isolates were sensitive to nalidixic acid (64%), cefriaxone (56.5%) and ceftazidime (73.9%). B. Cepacia probably causes nosocomial infections in this environment. It may therefore be necessary to routinely carry out in-vitro antibiotic sensitivity testing testing for this organism in view of its resistance to commonly used antibiotic agents, so that appropriate therapy can be instituted.

Nosocomial Malaria Infection in Admitted Patients At Lagos University Teaching Hospital-A Preliminary Study
A.O Oduwole and O.Olubanjo

 SUMMARY
The frequency of acquisition of malaria parasites was studied in children admitted into the children's Emergency Room and the paediatric in-patient wards of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital who had no malaria parasitaemia at the time of admission. At admission, two hundred and thirty five of three hundred and ninety five children aged 6month and above, admitted for various conditions over a three and a half months period, who were found positive for malaria parasite on thick and thin blood films at admission were excluded. Of the remaining 152 children who had been on blood parasitaemia 23 were also excluded as they had been on admission for one week or less. Among the remaining 130 children, 112 had become infected with malaria parasite after 7 days and were also excluded. Positive blood parasitemia were determined in 12 of the remaining 18 children between 14 and 21 days of admission. It was concluded that nosocomial malaria is common and thus efforts should be directed towards vector control. Where this is not feasible due to infrastructural constraints, empirical treatment with chloroquine may be worthwhile when a child has been on admission for more than 14 days. 

Key words: Malaria, parasiteamia, paediatrics, and nosocomial

A Comparative study of patterns of prescription ofAntibiotics in Two Health

Centres in Lagos
A.A Akinyede, A.F.B. Mabadeje and M. O. Aliu.
 
ABSTRACT
A total of 535 and 670 prescription were analysed in a prospective study comparing the patterns of prescription of antibiotics in both the out- patient and in-patient departments of two health centres,  Randle and onikan respectively in June and July 1998.  There was antibiotic prescription in 363 (67. 85%) in Randle Avenue Health Centre, and 422 (62.96%) in Onikan. Co-trimoxazole was the most frequently prescribed antibiotic at Randle while at onikan it was cephalexin representing 25%and 17%of the total drugs used at these centres respectively. The percentage of encounters with antibiotic in Randle and onikan were comparable, 67. 85% and 62.98 respectively.  The number of antibiotic in drugs prescribed at onikan was almost double that at Randle, 876 and 475 respectively despite the lack of statistical difference between the numbers of patients prescribed with antibiotics at the two centres (P. 0.05).  The average number of drugs prescribed at the two health centres were found to be comparably, 2.41+_0.02 for Randle and 2.64+_ 0.02 for onikan (P0.05).  It is necessary for the physicians at these centres to have a more rational approach to the use of antibiotics, this will further improve the general prescribing pattern which appear commendable.

Risk Factors, Clinical Features and Management Of Children With Diarrhoea in Lagos.
R.A. Audu, S.A. Omiliabu, J. K. Renner, and J.A.Awodiji

Abstract
Inspite of the diarrhoeal disease control Programme of WHO and campaign efforts of the Nigerian government in the prevention and management ofdiarrhoea, the disease still remains a major causes of death among children under 5 years in Nigerian. Hence this study was aimed at assessing the risk factors,  clinical features and the quality of home case management of diarrhoea. A hospital based longitudinal study was carried out. Questionnaires were administered to mothers with children presenting with diarrhoea in a primary, secondary and tertiary health institutions. Age of a child, position in family and mothers' occupation have been identified as risk factors of diarrhoea. Fever and vomiting was prevalent in 68% and 60% of children respectively responsible for 65% of hospitaliz