Anthony I Okoh

University of Sharjah | US · Environmental Health Sciences.

Introduction: Staphylococcus aureus causes staphylococcal food poisoning and several difficult-to-treat infections. The occurrence and dissemination of methicillin-resistance S. aureus (MRSA) in Nigeria is crucial and well documented in hospitals. However, findings on MRSA from meat in the country are yet to be adequately reported. The current stu...

Salmonella is responsible for some foodborne disease cases worldwide. It is mainly transmitted to humans through foods of animal origin through the consumption of poultry products. The increased international trade and the ease of transboundary movement could propel outbreaks of local origin to translate into severe global threats. The present stud...

Introduction and purpose The recent cholera spread, new cases, and fatality continue to arouse concern in public health systems; however, interventions on control is at its peak yet statistics show continuous report. This study characterized atypical and patho-significant environmental Vibrio cholerae retrieved from ground/surface/domestic water in...

4-tert-Octylphenol (4-tOP) is a component of non-ionic surfactants alkylphenol polyethoxylates while triclosan (TCS) is an antibacterial present in personal care products. Both compounds can co-exist in environmental matrices such as soil and water. The mixture effects of these micropollutants in vitro remains unknown. INS-1 cells were exposed to 2...

Vibrio species are classified as potent hazards because of their tendency to effect serious diseases like cholera and other gastrointestinal ailments in humans, as well as vibriosis in fish. A total of 144 freshwater samples were aseptically collected monthly across four rivers (Asejire, Ona, Dandaru and Erinle rivers) over a 12-month period from w...

The adsorption of bacteria DNA onto mesoporous silica nanoparticles in their original state has been a great challenge due to the high negative charge exhibited by both the DNA and silica surface. The aim of this study is to mediate bacteria DNA onto synthesized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (E-MSN) in combination with different chaotropic salts....

Seasonal variations (SVs) affect the population density (PD), fate, and fitness of pathogens in environmental water resources and the public health impacts. Therefore, this study is aimed at applying machine learning intelligence (MLI) to predict the impacts of SVs on P. shigelloides population density (PDP) in the aquatic milieu. Physicochemical e...

In this study, a potent material for adsorption of methyl violet (MV) in water was developed. This material was synthesized from silica coated zinc oxide nanoparticles. The material was obtained after functionalization of silica coated zinc oxide nanoparticles with pyrene ligand. Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Telle...

Fresh vegetables play a significant role in the human diet. However, ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetables have been associated with increasing foodborne outbreaks including L. monocytogenes, which is a common human pathogen associated with foodborne infections resulting in listeriosis. This study aims to assess the resistance of vegetable-borne L. monocyt...

Salmonellosis is a frontrunner in food-borne diseases with emerging public health concerns. This study aimed to characterise the virulence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of Salmonella enterica recovered from poultry meat within Benin City, Nigeria. Of the 250 poultry meat samples, 103/250(41.2%) were positive for Salmonella species. Of the 185...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a large group of diverse hazardous organic compounds that are relatively stable and widely distributed throughout the world’s ecosystems due to various anthropogenic activities. They are generally less soluble in water and have a low vapour pressure, but dissolve easily in adipose tissues; and they bioac...

The World Health Organization in 2017 listed carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) with critical priority for research. A research to assess carbapenem resistant Escherichia coli (CREc) in coliuria among the outpatients and inpatients of a tertiary health institution was carried out using conventional methods, polymerase chain reaction, San...

Herbicides are chemicals used globally to kill unwanted plants so as to obtain high agricultural yields and good agricultural products. Herbicides are sometimes transported from the farmlands into water bodies mainly through runoffs. These chemicals are recalcitrant, and their accumulation is hazardous to abiotic and biotic components of the ecosys...

The occurrence and the antibiogram signatures of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) recovered from 65 milk samples and its products within the Eastern Cape province were examined. The EN ISO 11290:2017 procedures Parts 1 and 2 described by the International Organization for Standardization for the enumeration and isolation of Lm was adopted for the study....

This study employed silver nanoparticles to remove DNA conveying antibiotic resistance genes from water. Three different molar concentrations of silver nanoparticles represented as BD1 (0.1 M), BD2 (0.5 M), and BD3 (1.0 M) were synthesized as adsorbents and evaluated in a batch adsorption system for the removal of bacteria DNA conveying antibiotic...

The COVID-19 pandemic (Coronavirus disease 2019) remains problematic in all its manifestations on the global stage where countless events of human-to-human exposure have led to fatal cases; thus, the aftermath being an unprecedented public health concern, with inaccessible health care and the instability of economies and financial institutions. The...

Somatic antigen agglutinable type-1/139 Vibrio cholerae (SAAT-1/139-Vc) members or O1/O139 V. cholerae have been described by various investigators as pathogenic due to their increasing virulence potential and production of choleragen. Reported cholera outbreak cases around the world have been associated with these choleragenic V. cholerae with hig...

The adsorption efficiency of different Ag/ZnO heterostructures was investigated for the removal of multidrug‐resistant Enterococcus faecium (MDR_EF) harbouring multiple resistance genes from tap‐water. The concentration of the precursors influences the microstructures of the adsorbents; however, it did not significantly affect the adsorption effici...

Somatic antigen agglutinable type Vibrio cholerae of 1/139 (SAAT-Vc-1/139) members or O1/O139 Vibrio cholerae have been described by various investigators as choleragenic due to their increase pathogenic potential and production of choleragen. Reported cholera outbreak cases around the World have been associated with these choleragenic Vibrio chole...

There have been many global studies on the occurrence and distribution of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the aquatic resources, but reports on the effects of physicochemical properties of water on their concentrations are very scarce. The amounts and removal of these contaminants in various environmental media are dependent o...

Water a vital resource of life has been faced with concerns of usage safety. As a strategy toward alleviating user safe-water-for-all (SWA) concern amongst safe water deprived populations, a cross-sectional analysis of various water sources were determined. These include sampling of wastewater treatment plants final effluents (WWTPFE), receiving wa...

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The concentrations, potential sources, and compositional profile of PBDEs in the surface water and sediment of Nahoon Estuary, East London, South Africa, were investigated with solid-phase extraction and ultra-sonication, respectively, followed by gas-chromatography-electron capture detection. The seasonal range of the contaminants’ concentrations...

The World Health Organization in 2017 listed vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) among those with high priority for research. This study determined the efficiency of two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in removing both vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and vancomycin-sensitive enterococci (VSE) from wastewater and the effect of their ef...

Pesticides are synthetic compounds that may become environmental contaminants through their use and application. The high productivity achieved in the agricultural industry can be credited to the use and application of pesticides by way of pest and insect control. As much as pesticides have a positive impact on the agricultural industry, some disad...

In recent times, there has been a cumulative apprehension regarding organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) owing to their high manufacturing and usage after brominated flame retardants were strictly regulated and banned from being distributed and used in many countries. OPFRs are known as the main organic pollutants in the terrestrial and aquatic...

Adequate water supply is one of the public health issues among the population living in low-income settings. Vibriosis remain a significant health challenge drawing the attention of both healthcare planners and researchers in South West districts of Uganda. Intending to clamp down the disease cases in the safest water deprive locality, we investiga...

The presence of pharmaceuticals in surface water and sediment has sparked up a global concern, as they could cause harm to human health. In this study, we investigated five pharmaceuticals (caffeine, carbamazepine, sulfamethoxazole, testosterone, and trimethoprim) in surface water and sediment samples from Swartkops River Estuary and Markman Stormw...

This study investigated the presence of pharmaceuticals in the water and sediment of Buffalo and Sundays River Estuary, South Africa. Extraction for water and sediment samples was achieved with solid-phase extraction and ultrasonic extraction methods, respectively. Quantification of the target analytes was done with UPLC-QTOF-MS. The pH of surface...

The concentrations, potential sources, and compositional profile of PBDEs in the surface water and sediment of Nahoon Estuary, East London, South Africa, were investigated with solid-phase extraction and ultra-sonication, respectively, followed by gas-chromatography-electron capture detection. The seasonal range of the contaminants’ concentrations...

Reports of vibriosis and other related gastrointestinal infections have remained a recurring concern in the diverse global continent. The safety of drinking surface water and associated environmental pollution has remained a public health concern in limited resource sittings. Seen in this light, we report the antibiogram signatures of Vibrio specie...

Overview of the Pathogenesis, Transmission, Diagnosis, and Management of Endemic Human Coronaviruses

The study investigated the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence determinants in Vibrio species recovered from different freshwater sheds in rustic milieu. A total of 118 Vibrio isolates comprising Vibrio fluvialis (n=41), Vibrio mimicus (n=40) and V. vulnificus (n=37) was identified by amplification of ToxR , vmh and hsp60 gen...

Keratinous biomass valorization for value-added products presents a high prospect in ecological management and the advancement of the bio-economy. Consequently, soil samples from the poultry dumpsite were collected. The bacteria isolated on the basal salt medium were screened for keratinolytic activity. The potent chicken feathers degrading bacteri...

Antibiotics resistance genes (ARGs) in concurrence with antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) have been identified globally as contaminants that threatens public health. These contaminants enter into wastewater treatment plants through different channels such as hospital, domestic, pharmaceutical, and agricultural activities. These channels are respo...

Objectives Decaying wood samples were collected, and actinomycetes were isolated and screened for laccase production. The identity of the efficient laccase-producing isolate was confirmed by using a molecular approach. Fermentation conditions for laccase production were optimized, and laccase biochemical properties were studied.ResultsBased on the...

Water resources contaminated with pathogenic Vibrio species are usually a source of devastating infection outbreaks that have been a public health concern in both developed and developing countries over the decades. The present study assessed the prevalence of six medically significant Vibrio species in some water resources in Eastern Cape Province...

Globally, the challenges with extensive consumption and improper disposal of antibiotics have become a menace to public health. This anomaly has contributed to the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment. Many of these resistance genes are carried on plasmids, transposons...

Platinum catalysts for use in fuel cells have gained much attention because of their unique properties such as high catalytic activity and durability. They have enabled a number of different electro-catalysts for diverse applications. Nanomaterials based platinum (Pt) electro-catalysts for fuel cell applications have been largely explored and activ...

Biomass torrefaction is a thermal pre-treatment technique that improves solid fuel properties in relation to its efficient utilization for energy generation. In this study, the torrefaction performance of sewage sludge, a non-lignocellulose biomass and sugarcane bagasse, a lignocellulose biomass were investigated in an electric muffle furnace. The...

PBDEs are human-influenced chemicals utilized massively as flame retardants. They are environmentally persistent, not easily degraded, bioaccumulate in the biological tissue of organisms, and bio-magnify across the food web. They can travel over a long distance, with air and water being their possible transport media. They can be transferred to non...

Vibrio species, widely distributed in water environments, has emerged as a prominent cause of water and food-related disease outbreaks posing significant risk to human and animal health worldwide. About 40% of presumptive isolates recovered from four selected rivers in Southwest Nigeria and, established as Vibrio species genus through polymerase ch...

Infrastructural development and advancement have provided several tools for the treatment and management of conventional and emerging pollutants to ensure access to clean water. Emerging contaminants in the aquatic environment such as antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) possess inherent properties that enables...

Treated sewage harbours pathogenic microbes, such as enteric bacteria and protozoa, are capable of causing several diseases. Some of these are emerging pathogens sometimes recovered in the absence of common water quality indicator organisms. The possibility of selected treatments plants serving as momentary reservoirs of Vibrio pathogens during a n...

Microbial infections have been linked to the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. The present study aimed to synthesise and assess global evidence of microbial pathogenesis and pathophysiology in AD (MPP-AD) neurodegeneration conditions using integrated science mapping and content analyt...

Background This study describes the characteristics of pregnant women on ART and the rate of peripartum virologic suppression in a large PMTCT cohort who delivered in some selected maternity centres in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. In addition, the study examines the factors associated with virologic suppression in the cohort. Methods T...

ABSTRACT Background: This study describes the characteristics of pregnant women on ART and the rate of peripartum virologic suppression in a large PMTCT cohort who delivered in some selected maternity centres in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. In addition, the study examines the factors associated with virologic suppression in the cohort....

In this study, Chlorococcum sp. was investigated for its cholinesterase inhibitory potentials and antioxidant activity. The algal sample was cultivated, harvested, and extracted sequentially using n‐hexane, dichloromethane, and ethanol. The extracts were characterized using Fourier transmission infra‐red (FTIR) and Gas Chromatography‐Mass Spectrome...

The poultry processing industry generates a huge amount of feathers as waste. The feathers are recalcitrant to degradation, and are fraught with environmental problems. Therefore, the microbial utilization of feather biomass for the production of valuable products represents sustainable development. In this study, a keratinolytic bacteria previousl...

Chlorine is the commonest and cheapest disinfectant used in drinking water and wastewater treatment at household, municipal and industrial levels. However, the uprising of microbial chlorine resistance (MCR) pose critical public health hazard concerns; because, its potentiate exposure to difficult-to-treat resistant pathogens. Therefore, this study...

In this study, we aimed to synthesize, characterize, and investigate the efficacy of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) derived from the fruit and leaf extracts of C. ambigua against free radical, bacterial strains and malarial parasites. Their antibacterial, antimalarial and antioxidant efficacy were examined by micro-dilution, parasite viability, and s...

In the present study, an aqueous leaf extract of Salvia officinalis was used to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and characterized with different techniques such as UV–vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Transmission elec...

We examined the prevalence, antibiotic susceptibility profile and extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production by transitory Escherichia coli among other bacteria in vagina of female patients with symptoms of urinary tract infection, using standard microbiological methods. One hundred and forty-four patients' samples were collected, of which 123...

Acute watery diarrhea and cholera (AWD/C) have resulted more than 21000 to 143000 global mortality or death cases associated with Vibrio cholerae annually. The pathogen has shown increasing evolutionary dynamics or emergence linked to the ubiquitous nature of mobile integrative and conjugative elements (MICE). We report in this study characterizati...

The search for novel renewable products over synthetics hallmarked this decade and those of the recent past. Most economies that are prospecting on biodiversity for improved bio-economy favor renewable resources over synthetics for the potential opportunity they hold. However, this field is still nascent as the bulk of the available resources are n...

Objective: Cryptosporidium and Rotavirus agents have been associated with severe diarrheal illnesses and remain as one of the worst human health burdens in most developing regions. In the present study, we evaluated the incidences of Cryptosporidium and Rotavirus in diarrheal stool specimens of patients in some rural settlements of the Amathole Di...

Effective and efficient utilization of antimicrobial drugs has been one of the important cornerstone of modern medicine. However, since antibiotics were first discovered by Alexander Fleming about a century ago, the time clock of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) started ticking somewhat leading to a global fear of a possible “post-antimicrobial era”....

4-tert-Octylphenol (4-tOP) and triclosan (TCS) are endocrine disruptors which have been detected in environmental matrices such as air, soil and water at ultra-low levels. Exposure to endocrine disruptors may account at least in part, for the global increase in the incidence of non-communicable diseases like cancers and diabetes and may also lead t...

Purpose: The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria remains as one of the major impediments towards the prevention and treatment of microbial infections and continues to be a serious threat to medicine. Henceforth, this study aimed at elucidating the antimicrobial resistance profiles of diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC) and Salmonella species recover...

HIV-1 subtype C is the predominant circulating virus in South Africa. There are reports of non-C subtypes emerging in different regions of the country, however, very little information exists on the genetic diversity of HIV in the Eastern Cape Province, despite having the third largest HIV epidemic in the country. In the current study, a near full-...

Agroresidues have continued to gain preference over conventional carbon sources for microbial enzyme production due to the low price and abundance in the environment. Therefore, this study aimed at improving peroxidase yield by Bacillus sp. MABINYA-1 (BMAB-1) using agroresidues under submerged fermentation. The culture parameters that support maxim...

Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) are organochlorine compounds comprising the naphthalene ring system, in which one to eight hydrogen atoms have been substituted with chlorine atoms, yielding 75 chlorinated congeners. They were considered as persistent organic pollutants in May 2015 at the Stockholm Convention owing to their toxicity, persistence...

The high resistance evolution of protozoans to the existing antiparasitic drugs has necessitated the quest for novel and effective drugs against plasmodium and trypanosome parasites. As a result, this study aimed to assess the antiplasmodial and antitrypanosomal potentials of chloroform, ethyl acetate and ethanol leaf extracts of Oedera genistifolia...

This study examined strain, sex and slaughter weight effect on performance, meat quality and yield of broiler chicken. One hundred and fifty-day-old chicks (broilers) were distributed randomly in a 3 × 2 × 4 factorial experiment, with 50 birds per strain (Ross, Aboaca and Anak) and 25 birds per sex. After trial, 32 birds per strain and 16 per sex w...

Keratinases are considerably gaining momentum in green technology because of their endowed robustness and multifaceted application potentials, such as keratinous agro-wastes valorization. Therefore, the production of novel keratinases from relatively nonpathogenic bacteria grown in agro-wastes formulated medium is cost-effective, and also imperativ...