Paul Waithaka

• PhD (Microbiology)
• Senior Lecturer at Kirinyaga University

Background: Euphorbia grantii is widely used in ethnic medicine for the treatment of diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhoea and wound infections. This study aimed at isolating and evaluating antibiotic activity of E. grantii crude extracts. E. grantii plants samples were collected from Kirinyaga county and crude extracts obtained using methanol, hex...

Antibiotic resistance is a global challenge of our times. To avert the problem, search for alternative antibiotics from natural sources is inevitable. This study sought to extract antibiotics from edible and non-edible wild mushrooms from Menengai crater. The mushroom samples were collected in new khaki bags from Menengai crater and transported to...

Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest global problem of our times. The leading producers of antibiotics that can be used to curb this problem are actinomycetes. This study was conceived to isolate antibiotic producing actinomycetes from the soils of Menengai crater and identify the cultural and physical factors that favoured production of ant...

Introduction: Drug resistance is the biggest threat to human existence today. This study was conducted to investigate the sensitivity of selected pathogenic microorganisms to antibiotic extracts from soils of Menengai crater geothermal vents in Kenya. Method: Antibiotic-producing actinomycetes were isolated from geothermal vents of the crater. The...

Background: Maize is the stable food in Kenya. However, its production has been jeopardized by the high prevalence of fungi in most developing countries and the whole world at large. Some fungi produce mycotoxins which threaten human lives.Methods: This study aimed at isolating fungi from selected Counties in Kenya. Maize samples were ground using...

Mycotoxins produced by fungi are among the leading courses of human mortality and morbidity all over the world. This study aimed at establishing the post-harvest practices that lead to contamination of maize with fungi in Trans Nzoia, Kisii, Kisumu, Bungoma, Migori, Kericho, Machakos, Kitui and Meru Counties in Kenya. The study was also aimed at is...

Multi-drug resistant pathogens are a leading cause of human morbidity and mortality all over the world. This study aimed at isolating actinomycetes from the soils of Menengai crater and characterizing selected actinomycetes using morphological, biochemical, and molecular techniques. The study involved isolation of actinomycetes using Starch Casein...

Water sources all over the world are constantly being polluted through disposal of untreated human and animal wastes, agrochemicals and industrial effluents. Aquatic plants such as algae take up nutrients together with other pollutants for their growth. This study aimed at assessing nutrient removal efficiency of Spirogyra sp. and Oedogonium sp. in...

Background: Contaminated water is a major source of enteric diseases. This study aimed at isolating pathogenic bacteria from portable drinking water in Egerton University. In addition, the study aimed at subjecting the isolates to sensitivity test of root extracts from Solanum incanum besides carrying out minimum inhibitory test of the root extract...

Most infections witnessed today originate from lack of observing cleanliness. However, the high cost of soaps especially in developing countries like Kenya makes cleanliness a luxury to many people. This project explored the possibility of using banana peel and olive tree ashes in making of soaps. These peels become a nuisance in both urban and rur...

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) has been mentioned to be of value in the management of male sexual disorders. This study investigated the effects of pomegranate fruit extract on healthy male rats as the animal model. 50 adult male and female Albino rats of Wistar strain weighing 250-350 g and 200-250 g respectively were used in this study. The pom...

Deaths due to cancer are on the increase all over the world. Drugs that are used in chemotherapy produce serious side effects on the patient. This study aimed at determining the anti-mitotic activity of pomegranate, pawpaw and safflower. The anti-mitotic activities are used a leads to finding the anticancer properties of crude extracts. The pomegra...

Drug resistant pathogens pose a big problem to the word today. Some infections resulting from drug resistant pathogens do not respond to some of the drugs in the market today. This created a need for the development of drugs which are not resisted by the pathogens. This study was conceived with the aim of extracting antimicrobial compounds from Acm...

The search for antibiotic metabolites is increasing due to drug resistance been witnessed today. This study was conceived to isolate, identify and compare the antimicrobial metabolites yield of four actinomycetes isolated from Menengai crater soil, Kenya. The actinomycetes were isolated using starch casein, Luria Bertani (M1) and starch nitrate aga...

Mangoes are an important source of vitamins all over the world. However, their production has been endangered by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides that causes anthracnose of mangoes. This study was aimed at isolating the fungus from infected mangoes followed by testing the sensitivity of the fungus to essential oils from eucalyptus, sage and rosemary...

Diseases are the worst enemy to man currently. This study was aimed at isolating pathogenic bacteria from water obtained from shallow wells in Dundori Kenya. Also, the study aimed at testing the isolates for sensitivity to antibiotic metabolites previously extracted from Actinomycetes isolates from soils of Egerton University. Water samples were co...

Pain is a common manifestation of presence of disease or physical injury in humans. High levels of serotonin in the plasma has been associated with pain. This study aimed at determining the effect of Withania somnifera root extracts on serotonin levels in Suiz albino mice. W. somnifera root samples were collected and ground to small pieces. Ethanol...

Every harvest season, man receives a lot of plant waste material that have a negative effect on the environment. The rate at which bacteria and fungi in the environment decompose these wastes is low. This study aimed at isolating actinomycetes from soils obtained from Egerton University and testing the actinomycetes for the ability to decompose pla...

Development of drug resistance is the biggest challenge today. This study was aimed at isolating Peronospora destructor from onion and Candida albicans from chicks of a person. The study also aimed at carrying out sensitivity test of the isolates to essential oils extracted from rosemary and mint. The pathogens were isolated using potato dextrose a...

Drug resistant pathogenic microorganisms account for the highest proportion of death today. This study was aimed at extracting essential oils (EOS) from mint. Sensitivity tests of selected pathogenic microorganism were also carried out. EOS were extracted using distillation method. Phytochemical screening of the essential oils for the presence of t...

Rastonia solanacearum is a major cause of post-harvest losses of Irish potatoes in the world today. This study was carried out in order to isolate Rastonia solanacearum from infected stems and tubers of Irish potatoes. In addition, the study determined the growth inhibitory activities of essential oils from rosemary, mint, lavender and eucalyptus a...

This study sought to determine the effectiveness of antimicrobial metabolites extracted using ethyl acetate. The antimicrobial metabolites were obtained from previously isolated actinomycetes coded as PAN 30, PAN 37, PAN 41 and PAN 154. The study also determined the yield of the extracts from the actinomycetes in addition to testing the stability o...

Disease is the most dangerous man’s enemy in this age. This has worsened with the enormous development of drug resistance witnessed in many parts of the world. This study aimed at determining the antimicrobial properties of Aloe vera, Aloe volkensii and Aloe secundiflora crude extracts. The plants samples were collected from the Department of Biolo...

Chick pea is considered as the most important sources of cheap protein. However, the crop is endangered by a number of fungal diseases. Top in the list of these fungal diseases is ascochyta blight. This study was aimed at testing the sensitivity of Ascochyta rabiei to essential oils from thyme, sage and rosemary plant. Infected chick pea plant samp...

The current study was carried out to isolate actinomycetes from the geothermal vents of Menengai crater. Soil samples were collected from vents A and D in sterile polythene papers and transported to Egerton University, Department of Biological sciences laboratories. The samples were air dried on the benches for one week. To kill vegetative bacteria...

Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) is a disease affecting humans and animals. It is caused by a nematode parasite of the Order Filaridae. Lymphatic filariasis is targeted by the World Health Organization (WHO) for elimination by the year 2020. This will be mainly by interrupting transmission of infection through annual mass drug administration (MDA). In Ken...

This study was carried out to investigate the best method isolating actinomycetes from the soils of Menengai crater. Based on land terrain and differences in vegetation, the study area was divided into regions A, B, C and D. Soil samples were collected from 8 sampling points from each region. The samples were separately mixed to form composite samp...

Abstract Introduction: The emergence of drug resistance has caught the attention of scientist due to the risk of going back to the pre-antimicrobial era. Objective: This study was carried out to investigate the antimicrobial properties of mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) and fungal (Trametes gibbosa) metabolites. Method: The study involved isolating Er...

This study was carried out to isolate actinomycetes from the soils of Menengai crater. The study area was divided into regions A, B, C and D. Soil samples were collected from 8 sampling points from each region. The samples were separately mixed to form composite samples. Starch casein, Luria Bertani and starch nitrate agar were used in isolating ac...

Growth of fruits which form an important part of human diet has been jeopardized by the many fungal diseases that are present today. This study was conceived to isolate the most common fungal pathogens in passion fruits. Fungi were isolated using potato dextrose agar in addition to characterization using morphological, cultural, and biochemical mea...

A total of 98 soil samples collected from Menengai geothermal site located in Nakuru, Kenya were analyzed for their chemical and microbial components. In region A, phosphorus, sodium, nitrogen and carbon were deficient, region B and C, phosphorus and Manganese, while in D the deficient minerals were phosphorus, sodium, nitrogen and carbon. Toxic mi...

Polythenes are used in many spheres of human life such as packing of commodities and in construction of green houses and ponds among other uses. As a result when not properly disposed, they contaminate our environment since they are not easily biodegraded. In this study, some polythene papers were buried around growing maize, in the forest and in w...

Polythenes are used in many spheres of human life such as packing of commodities and in construction of green houses and ponds among other uses. As a result when not properly disposed, they contaminate our environment since they are not easily biodegraded. In this study, some polythene papers were buried around growing maize, in the forest and in w...

Maize fungal pathogens pose a big risk to human life today. Some fungal pathogens have been linked with triggering tumorous growth in human cells. The present study was meant to isolate common fungal pathogens of stored maize grains and testing their sensitivity to essential oils extracted from rosemary and eucalyptus. The fungal pathogens were iso...

Erwinia spp. causes soft rot in Ornithogalum spp., a flower grown purposely for export in Kenya. As a result the pathogen pauses a great risk to the economy of the country. This study aimed at isolating actinomycetes and Erwinia spp. from the soils of Menengai crater and infected Ornithogalum spp. respectively. In addition, the study sought to prod...

Antimicrobial resistance is the biggest problem of our times. This study was conceived to test the antimicrobial properties of neem tree (Azadirachta indica) extracts when and when not mixed with cow’s urine. The study involved collection of leafs, seeds and stem bark samples of neem tree. Extraction of the plant extracts was carried out using stan...

A study was undertaken to extract essential oils from flowers and leaves of the Lavender plant (Lavanda officinalis) using water distillation method. The extracted oils were further mixed with different proportions of methanol, ethanol and formaldehyde to make perfumes. Although there was no significant difference in the amount of essential oils ex...

The soils of Menengai crater are formed from the solidification of magma after volcanic eruption. These soils may greatly influence the type of vegetation in the region. The situation is worsened by the harsh environmental conditions in the region. This study aims at determining the soil physico-chemical characteristics and their influence on plant...

Antimicrobial resistance is the biggest problem of our times. This study was conceived to test the antimicrobial properties of neem tree (Azadirachta indica) extracts when and when not mixed with cow's urine. The study involved collection of leafs, seeds and stem bark samples of neem tree. Extraction of the plant extracts was carried out using stan...

Nakuru North sub-county is a peri-urban area which has both dry and wet seasons. Its residents rely mostly on untreated water sources for daily water needs due to unreliable water supply from the urban council. However, this water has not been evaluated on its quality despite residents solely depending on it. This study was aimed at determining the...

Nakuru North sub-county is located 160 Km Northwest of Nairobi at an altitude of 1859 m above sea level. It has an area of 593 Km 2 with a population density of 25.3 per Km 2. The residents often suffer from diarrhoeal diseases which could possibly be due to intake of contaminated foods. The study was aimed at determining the microbial levels of ra...