Screening and Identification of Laccase Producing Fungi from Environmental Samples

Laccases are oxidases with broad substrate specificity and ability to oxidize various phenolic and non-phenolic compounds. This study was carried out to isolate and characterizes laccase producing fungi from environment samples. Soil and decaying wood samples were collected from different locations within Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Main campus. Suspensions of the samples (1 g in 10 mL sterile distilled water) were serially diluted, inoculated onto Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) containing 0.01% Chloramphenicol and incubated for 7 days at 30oC.The fungal isolates were characterized macroscopically and microscopically with the aid of an atlas. The identified fungal isolates were screened for laccase production by inoculating onto PDA containing 0.02% Guaiacol, 1mM ABTS (2 2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and 0.5% Tannic acid as indicator compounds and incubated at 250C for 7 days. The laccase producing isolates were confirmed molecularly by ITS rDNA sequence analysis using the FASTA algorithm with the Fungus database from the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI).A total of 25 fungal species (11 from soil and 14 from decaying wood samples) were isolated. Two isolates from the soil origin identified as Curvularia lunata SSI7 (Accession No. QIE06317.1) and Fusarium clade VII SSI3 (Accession No. GQ505677) were found to produce laccase where Curvularia lunata SSI7 was able to oxidize all the indicator compounds used for the screening. Fusarium clade VII SSI3 was able to oxidize only 0.5% Tannic acid. Laccase producing Curvularia lunata and Fusarium clade VII were isolated from soil samples collected from ABU Zaria Main Campus. Keywords: laccase, fungi, soil, decaying wood

Prevalence of Urinary Schistosomiasis among Almajiri Children in Silame, Sokoto State, North-western Nigeria

Urinary schistosomiasis is a severe threat to global health with uncountable morbidities in Africa including Nigeria where control interventions focused on children in public and private schools neglecting Almajiri children. This undermined control interventions as those infected contaminate the environments with infective stages of the parasite. The objective of the study was to identify the prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis amongst Almajiri children in Silame, Sokoto State, North-western Nigeria. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study, socio-demographic data was collected in April 2020 on 206 consented Almajiri children in Silame and their urine samples were examined using the sedimentation method. The study showed a prevalence of 35.4% among the Almajiri children in Silame, Sokoto State, North-western Nigeria. The highest prevalence was found among children within the age range 16-20 years (63.6%) while the lowest prevalence was among those in the age range 6-10 years (24.4%). There was a statistically significant difference in the occurrence of urinary schistosomiasis between the age groups (χ 2 = 11.637a , df =3, p=0.002). Urinary schistosomiasis was prevalent among Almajiri children in the study area and parasite infection was associated with the participant's socio-demographic factors such as age, level of education, and water contact activities. Hence, the National Schistosomiasis Control Programs should incorporate the Almajiri children in the control interventions Keywords: Schistosoma hematobium infection; Makarantarallo;Almajiri;Silame

Comparative Study of the Potentials of Aspergillus terreus, Bacillus species and Chlorella vulgaris on the Bio-Remediation of Reactive Red 198 (RR198) Dye

Re-dyeing of fabric materials using synthetic dyes (such as reactive dyes) is fast spreading in metropolitan Kano which causes serious damage to the ecosystems. This study was carried out to compare the potentials of Aspergillus terreus, Bacillus species and Chlorella vulgaris in bioremediation and adsorption of reactive red 198 (RR198) dye used in fabric re-dyeing. This was achieved through inoculation of pure cultures of the organisms in the dye solution. The highest percentage adsorption for all the test organisms was recorded after 48 hours of inoculation, with Chlorella vulgaris displaying 86.4%, Bacillus species, 84.4% and Aspergillus terreus, 69.8% of dye adsorption. The results showed statistically significant difference in dye adsorption among the three species with Chlorella vulgaris having the highest adsorption potential compared to the Bacillus species and Aspergillus terreus. The adsorption process fitted with the Freundlich's isotherm, revealing a multilayer adsorption pattern. There is need for the introduction of better strategies that detoxify dyes before discharging into the environment to avoid further contamination. Keywords: Aspergillus terreus, Bacillus species, Chlorella vulgaris, Reactive red 198 (RR198) dye.

Production of Bio-Fertilizer through Composting of Tannery Wastes with CowDung and Rice Bran

Tannery waste is made from nutrients and organic compounds that enhance soil fertility thereby improving plants and microbial growths. This study was designed to investigate the application of tannery wastes to form compost material in a mixture with cow-dung and rice brand. The treatments were prepared and tested for a period of sixty (60) days. The compost was characterized by electric conductivity (EC) of 10.11µs/cm, pH of 7.62 and Carbon-Nitrogen (C:N) ratio of 28.8. Total concentrations of Chromium, Lead, Cadmium, Copper, Zinc and Iron in mg/kg were 57.2, 0.92, 12.50, 60.50, 13.60 and 1101.00 respectively. However, total bacterial counts decreased from 8.2 x108 cfu/g to 1.8 x106 cfu/g after the 60days. The compost characteristics indicate about 80% germination index which may suggest the removal of most of the phototoxic compounds. Key words: Composting, Tannery wastes, bio-fertilizer

Evaluation of Heavy metals pollution around Kano municipal solid waste Dumpsites, Kano state, Nigeria

The research was conducted to assess the level of heavy metals contamination using single and integrated pollution indices in soils around municipal solid waste dumpsites of Kano Metropolis, Kano State, Nigeria. Forty two soil samples were collected from seven municipal solid waste dumpsites of Kano metropolis using circular plot method. A stainless hand auger at a depth of (0 to 15) top soils and sub-surface soils (15-30cm) depth were collected and analyzed with Flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer to determine the heavy metal concentration. The mean concentration (mg/kg) of heavy metals from the depth of (15-30 cm) were observed to follow a decreasing order Pb (7.71)>Zn (0.50) > Ni (0.45) > Cr (0.31) > Cd (0.025) while for surface soils (0- 15cm) the mean concentration were in the following order: Pb (1.77) > Ni (0.49) > Zn (0.30) > Cr (0.27) > Cd (0.012).The results showed that calculated CF and Er recorded that investigated soil samples are uncontaminated with Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr and Pb and Ni. The pollution load index (PLI) was less than unity showing that there was minimum pollution in the studied dumpsite. The potential ecological risk showed that soil samples were in the class of low contaminated with the studied heavy metals. The results showed that concentrations of heavy metals of soil samples from dumpsites location at waste dumpsites of Kano Metropolis were within limits of European Union (2002) standards. Keywords: Heavy metals, single and integrated pollution indices Kano, Municipal dumpsites

Potentials of Three Plants Leave oils mixture in Protecting Maize Grains against Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Over the last decade, Sitophilus zeamais are being control using synthetic insecticides. The overuse of these chemicals has lead to the development of insecticides resistance, environmental pollution, and killing of non-target organisms. The efficacy of Hyptis suaveolens, Ocimum gratissimum, and Psidium guajava leaf oils combination against adult S. zeamais was investigated on maize grain during the study. The leaves of the plants were grounded into powders and oils were extracted using Soxhlet apparatus separately. Maize variety 99% EDVT used was obtained from the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Kano. The insects were cultured in a containers and identified using a standard taxonomic key for Sitophilus spp. Different oils combination of two plants leaves oils were made in the ratio of 50%:50% of the test dose 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4ml/20g.Ten newly emerged S. zeamais were introduced separately for examination of adult mortality test and lethal concentration determination. Results showed that mortality increases with exposure period. The leaves oils combination show a significant difference in adult mortality of S. zeamais (P<0.05). Isobutylcyclohexane, Oleic Acid and 11-octadecenoic acid were the most occurring compound present in the individual plant extract. H. suaveolens and O. gratissimum combination protecting maize grains against S. zeamais infestation and therefore, the active ingredient of these plant combinations should be evaluated. Keywords: Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GS-MS), Maize, Mortality, Plant leaves

Molecular Characterisation of Soil-Dwelling Bacillus thuringiensis using Transcriptional Regulator, XRE Gene and the Crystal Protein, cry2 gene

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is the organism that is used most frequently in biological pest management, which is distinguished by the capacity to possess crystalline inclusions throughout the sporulation phase. There is an increasing need to use biological control in controlling plant pathogens due to the inherent advantages. However, the detection of Bt has become more time consuming and cumbersome due to the numerous available crystal genes. The goal of the study was to isolate strains of Bacillus thuringiensis from the soil, characterise the isolates using the transcriptional regulator, XRE gene and the crystal proteins cry2gene and compare the efficiency of these two biomarkers in identifying Bt species. Five different Bacillus thuringiensis strains were isolated from soil samples in Zaria, Nigeria. Polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the existence of the cry2 and XRE genes. Four (80%) of the five isolates harboured the XRE genes, while none (0%) harboured the cry2 genes. This observation is a likely indication that the XRE gene is a reliable biomarker in the identification of Bt isolates from environmental samples. In order to ensure speed and reproducibility in the detection of Bt from environmental samples, molecular techniques targeting the XREgene are recommended. Keywords: Bacillus thuringiensis; transcriptional regulator, XRE; crystal protein, cry2

Removal of Lead Ions from Water Using Pellet Generated from Bacillus subtilis Isolated from Gold Mining Site in Niger State

This work concentrated on the isolation of lead tolerant strains of bacteria, identification of the isolated strain with the highest lead tolerance capacity using microgen identification kit. Also, the efficacy of the generated pellet (dead cell) in the bioremoval of lead from aqueous solutions was determined. A total of nine bacteria were isolated from soil collected from gold mining site in Kontagora metropolis, Niger State. Of the nine isolates, only Bacillus subtilis (KO1) possess high tolerance capacity for high levels of lead ions. The pellet generated from the Bacillus subtilis (KO1) strain was then used to adsorb lead ions from synthetic ion solutions. The isolate's removal efficiency was enhanced by optimizing several physical conditions (pH, temperature, initial lead concentration and contact time). The best optimized adsorption removal efficiency (>90%) was found at pH 3, temperature 40oC with 100 mg/L of initial concentration of lead after 3 hours of treatment. The use of the pellet generated from eco-friendly Bacillus subtilis (KO1) has great potential and additional benefits in terms of lead removal. Keywords: Bacillus subtilis; lead; adsorption; pellet; optimization

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Cross-Sectional Survey of the Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices (KAP) and Misconceptions in the General Population of Katsina State, Nigeria

Over six million cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) were reported globally by the second quarter of 2020. This study assessed the COVID-19 related knowledge, attitudes, practices and misconceptions in Katsina state, Nigeria. The study is across-sectional survey of 722 respondents using an electronic questionnaire through the WhatsApp media platform. One thousand five hundred questionnaires were sent to the general public with a response rate of 48%. Among the respondents, 60% were men, and 56% held bachelor’s degree and above. The respondents have good knowledge of COVID-19 (80% correct rate on questions related to knowledge). Being more educated is associated with both higher average COVID-19 knowledge score and positive COVID-19 related practices. Overall, >70% of the respondents have a positive attitude towards successful COVID-19 control. Male were more likely than female (Fisher’s exact test P value < 0.05) to have recently attended a crowded place. Among the respondents, 83% held at least one misconception related to COVID-19. Respondents at all levels of education frequently chose to trust health unit and health care workers for relevant COVID-19 information. In conclusion, although there is high COVID-19 related knowledge among the respondents, misconceptions are widespread among them. These misconceptions have consequences on the short- and long-term control efforts against the disease and hence should be incorporated in targeted campaigns. Healthcare related personnel should be at the forefront of the campaign. Keywords: COVID-19; knowledge; attitude; practices; misconceptions; Nigeria

Effective microbial bioremediation via the multi-omics approach: An overview of trends, problems and prospects

Techno-industrial advancements the world over had led to the generation of hazardous environmental pollutants. Microbial bioremediation offers the best alternative for the removal of these pollutants. The most recent advancements in microbial bioremediation were catalyzed by the advent of various tools that enable the study microbes at levels of sophisticated detail, including genome analysis tools (genomics), protocols for analyzing expressed proteins and enzymes or proteomes (proteomics), techniques of analyzing ribonucleic acids (RNAs) transcriptomes (transcriptomics), and tools for analyzing metabolic end products/metabolomes (metabolomics). The twenty first century is witnessing an outpour of developments in the application of omics approaches in effective microbial bioremediation, thus, this paper attempts to review some of the most significant insights gained from relatively recent studies over a period of two decades (2000-2020) in the applications of multi-OMICS in microbial bioremediation, including trends and cutting-edge researches. We aim to highlight, particularly, the challenges that need to be overcome before OMICs approaches are successfully enshrined in microbial bioremediation, especially in developing countries. The strategies for overcoming such challenges, and the prospects achieved were also outlined. In the coming years, we envision further researches involving the application of multi-OMICs approach in microbial bioremediation potentially revolutionizing this field, opening up research avenues, and leading to improvements in bioremediation of polluted environment. Keywords: Biodegradation, Bioremediation; Genomics; Multi-OMICs, OMICs techniques.