FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES

A study on the effect of brewery effluent on two microalgae Thalassiosira sp. and Chaetoceros gracilis was carried out for fourteen (14) days. The experiment was done in triplicate using concentrations 0% (control), 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% of brewery effluent. Growth responses were measured using a visible spectrophotometer at 750nm and some physicochemical parameters were analyzed before and after the experiment using standard methods. Descriptive statistics, inferential (one way analysis of variance) ANOVA repeated measures, paired t-test and Tukey test were done using Microsoft excel 2010 and statistical package for social sciences SPSS20. The results showed that there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the growth
response of both microalgae. Different concentrations of brewery effluent affected the growth of Thalassiosira sp. and Chaetoceros gracilis. Higher concentrations (20%, 25% and 30%) had more stimulatory effect than lower concentrations (5%, 10% and 15%) when Thalassiosira sp. was used. Chaetoceros gracilis grew best in lower concentrations of 10%, 15% and 20%. A decrease in temperature was observed in all treatments while TOC and COD decreased at lower
concentrations of brewery effluent then remained constant at higher concentrations

The need for an alternative to inorganic fertilizer is on the increase owing to the drawbacks associated with inorganic fertilizers. This study was therefore carried out to evaluate the bacteriological profile of digestates from different waste streams and the ability of the isolates to promote the growth of plants. Standard bacteriological methods were used to analyze digestates from different waste streams. Total heterotrophic bacterial count was obtained using pour plate method. The cultural, morphological and biochemical characteristics of the bacterial isolates were evaluated using standard differential media along with appropriate reagents. Plant growth promoting capacity of the isolates were evaluated using standard protocols for nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, indole acetic acid and ammonia production. The results obtained from this study revealed that the total heterotrophic bacterial count (Log10 cfu/g) of digestate from different waste streams had values, which ranged from 4.91±0.02 for cattle rumen digestate to 4.41±0.03 for a combination of cattle rumen fruit and food waste digestate. The cultural, morphological and biochemical characteristics of bacterial isolates revealed the presence of Enterobacter cloacae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica, Proteus mirabilis and Bacillus cereus. The distribution of bacterial isolates in the different waste streams revealed that E. coli was present in all digestates obtained from different waste streams. All bacterial isolates were found to possess plant growth promoting properties with 100 % capacity for nitrogen fixation and phosphate solubilization. While 66.7 % of the isolates had the ability to produce ammonia and indole acetic acid. The phosphate solubilization index of the isolates revealed that E. coli (5.97) and P. aeruginosa (5.76) had the highest solarization index amongst all tested bacteria in the study

The control of infectious diseases is badly endangered by the rise in the number of micro organisms that are resistant to antimicrobial agents. This is because infections caused by resistant microorganisms often fail to respond to conventional treatment, resulting in prolonged illness and greater risk of death. The antibiotics susceptibility pattern of clinical isolates obtained from University of Benin Teaching Hospital was determined by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. The bacteria isolates obtained were S. aureus, S. epidermidis, S. hominis, E. coli andK. pneumonia. All test isolates were susceptible to Levofloxacin and Chloramphenicol. Corynebacterium jeikeium showed resistance to Streptomycin and Amoxicillin, K. pneumonia showed resistance to Norfloxacin. All S. epidermidis, showed no resistance to any of the antibiotics tested likewise E. coli and S. aureus. The multiple antibiotics resistance index of bacteria isolates revealed Corynebacterium jeikeium had an index of 0.2 which is the limit, K. pneumonia had an index of 0.1 and other were zero indicating these isolates do not pose threat to public health as they are not multidrug resistant and as such, plasmid curing was not carried out on these bacteria isolates.

Paracetamol is a widely used for relieving pain and reducing fever worldwide as a non-prescription drug. It is one of the most pharmaceutical products often detected in sewage treatment plant effluents, surface water, and drinking water, so it has emerged as an imperative aquatic environmental pollutant, originating from pharmaceutical industries and human use. The experiment was carried out at the University of Benin's forensic ecotoxicology lab. This research employed column chromatography methods to extract and analyze paracetamol, from the surface water of the Ogba River in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, as well as the river's physicochemical parameters. Paracetamol was detected in water as having a concentration with mean values of 0.17555ug/ml,0.8056ug/ml, and 0.46776 ug/ml for Stations 1, 2, and 3 respectively. In sediments, Paracetamol was detected in concentration with mean values of 0.357995 ug/ml, 0.7553 ug/ml, and 1.9228 ug/ml for Stations 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The result of the water sample from the three stations sampled were observed to be high in the concentration of iron, with a mean value exceeding the WHO limit set for drinking water quality. Reduction of human exposure to pharmaceuticals through drinking-water can be achieved through a combination of preventive measures, such as regulations, public guidance and consumer education to encourage the proper disposal of unwanted pharmaceuticals and minimize the introduction of pharmaceuticals into the environment.

Dipterans are excellent indicators of water quality; hence, they are routinely used as bioindicators during monitoring of aquatic ecosystems. The study was therefore, executed to investigate the physico-chemical water quality and dipteran aquatic insect larvae community. Both water and benthic samples were collected between August 2021 and January 2022 at four designated sampling stations along the Okhuahie River at Ikpe in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria, using standard procedures. A total of 22 physiochemical parameters were determined and measured. Among the physical and chemical parameters, Flow rate, Dissolved oxygen, and Phosphate showed highly significant differences (P<0.001) across the stations. A total of 3 taxa comprising 857 species were recorded. Abundance was highest in station 3 consisting of 146 individuals and the lowest in station 2 consisting of 77 individuals. The dominant taxon is Chironomid (98%), Culex (1.2%) and Tanyderidae (0.3%). Culex consisted of just 1 species and 11 individuals, Tanyderidae of 1 species and 3 individuals, whereas Chironomid comprised 5 species and 843 individuals. The diversity indices showed that station 3 was more diverse followed by station 4, while dipteran species in station 2 was least diverse. Culicidae and Tanyderidae showed positive critical correlation to sulphate and turbidity. The overall abundance showed no significant difference (p > 0.05) for all the four station. This study proved that Okhuaihe River is unperturbed and the Dipteran encountered are characteristics of a tropical freshwater habitat.

Zooplankton and macrobenthic invertebrate fauna are good indicators of the overall water quality of rivers, as changes in water quality affect their general distribution and abundance. This study investigates the community structure of zooplankton and macrobenthic invertebrate fauna of Siluko River, Edo State, Nigeria. Zooplankton and macrobenthic invertebrate samples were collected monthly from July 2016 to March 2017 at four designated stations between 09:00 hours and 12:00 hours using plankton net and filtering 100litres of water respectively and thereafter analyzed in the laboratory using standard methods. A total of 20 zooplankton taxa comprising 386 individuals belonging to the groupCladocera, Cyclopoida, ploimida and flosculariaceae were encountered. Tropocyclops prasinus had the highest number of abundance. Cladocera accounted for 31.00% while Cyclopoida, Ploimida and flosculariaceae accounted for 62.00%, 6.00% and 1% respectively. Shannon-Weiner’s diversity indices showed that highest value of 3.583 was obtained in station 4 and lowest value of 2.731 was obtained in station 2 for the zooplankton. There were no observed seasonal variation in Cladocera and Copepods composition and abundance except for Rotifers which were more abundant in dry season. A total of 52 macrobenthic invertebrates taxa comprising of 2163 individuals, three phyla; Annelida, Arthropoda and Mollusca were encountered in this study. Centroptilum sp. had the highest abundance. Diversity and evenness indices showed that there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in species composition across the study stations. Using the Shannon-Weiner’s diversity index, highest value was obtained in station 1 and lowest was obtained in station 3. Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera (EPT) index revealed that the water quality at stations 1, 3 and 4 were acceptable while that of station 2 was categorized as good. The zooplankton and macrobenthic invertebrate communities in Siluko River were characterized by species which indicated good water quality. However further studies are recommended to monitor the changes to this water body and their probable health effects as anthropogenic activities such as farming and housing development are on the increase around this stretch of the River.

Vernonia amygdalina leaf and carica papaya leaf have been employed to cure infections in traditional medicine, the plants have demonstrated a significant effect on microorganisms of bacteria, fungi and virus in various studies. The work aims to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of the decoction on the day old broiler chicks. The study decoction of pawpaw leaf and bitter leaf extract was extracted in ratio 1:1 in 5 liters of drinking water. Fifty (50), day old broiler chicks were used for the experiment. The study lasted for 4 weeks. Feed, drinking water and the decoction were provided ad libitum and standard routine management practices were followed. The chicks were divided into two treatments with 25 chicks per treatment. The first set labelled as T1 as control which were given plain water while the second set were labelled T2 as the treated chicks given the decoction as their drinking water. The result showed that there were distinct differencea in weekly weight gain and the final live weight p<0.05. Haematological indices showed that RBC, WBC, PCV, Lymphocytes and monocytes volume increased in the body of the chicks. Data were collected for body weight, (p<0.05). The results depict that there was significant (p< 0.05) differences observed in the body weight between T1 and other T2. In conclusion AVECAPA Decoction can be used in replacement of antibiotics.

The control of infectious diseases is badly endangered by the rise in the number of microorganisms that are resistant to antimicrobial agents. This is because infections caused by resistant microorganisms often fail to respond to conventional treatment, resulting in prolonged illness and a greater risk of death. The antibiotics susceptibility pattern of clinical isolates obtained from University of Benin Teaching Hospital was determined by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. The bacteria isolates obtained were S. aureus, S. epidermidis, S. hominis, E. coli andK. pneumonia. All test isolates were susceptible to Levofloxacin and Chloramphenicol. Corynebacterium jeikeium showed resistance to Streptomycin and Amoxicillin, K. pneumoniashowed resistance to Norfloxacin. All S. epidermidis showed no resistance to any of the antibiotics tested, E. coli and S. aureus likewise. The multiple antibiotics resistance index of bacterial isolates revealed Corynebacterium jeikeium had an index of 0.2, which is the limit, K. pneumonia had an index of 0.1 and the others were zero, indicating these isolates do not pose a threat to public health as they are not multidrug resistant and as such, plasmid curing was not carried out on these bacterial isolates

Genotoxicity refers to the ability of certain physical or chemical agents to cause damage to thegenetic material DNA and RNA within cells, thereby affecting their structural and functionaintegrity. This study was designed to evaluate the genotoxic effects of vehicular emissions onintra state drivers at central park Benin city. The central objective was to determine whethersustained exposure to vehicular fumes induces measurable genotoxic damage in these individualsA total of 100 buccal cell samples were collected from 25 commercial bus drivers, eachcontributing four samples (two from each cheek). The samples were analyzed using the BuccaMicronucleus Cytome Assay.The results obtained from the exposed group were compared with36 buccal cell samples collected from nine individuals who served as negative controls, each alsocontributing four samples. Altogether, 3,400 cells were examined under a light microscope 2,500from the exposed group and 900 from the control group, to identify and quantify nuclearaberrations such as micronuclei, binucleated, and anucleated cells.The mean frequencies omicronucleated, binucleated and anucleated cells in exposed drivers where significantly highe(p< 0.05) than those in the control. By systematically comparing these findings, this studyprovides critical insights into the potential of vehicular emissions to induce genetic instabilityand cellular damage among occupationally exposed individuals. The outcomes underscore thebiological impact of prolonged exposure to traffic-related air pollutants and highlight the urgenneed for strengthened environmental policies and public health measures aimed at minimizinggenotoxic risks in urban populations

Water is humanity's lifeblood, flowing across all forms of life, culture and economies around the world, it is a human right and a common development denominator for shaping a better future. Clean water is necessary for life, health, and development. It plays a critical role in sustaining ecosystems, supporting agriculture, promoting sanitation, and safeguarding public health. Every type of life depends on water, and thankfully, there is an abundance of water on Earth that will never run out of supply. Despite the optimistic outlook presented above, water scarcity can and frequently does exist, and this trend will only worsen as the world's population grows. Water quality values aren't definite; instead, they are measured according to guidelines from authorized bodies. The quality of drinking water is unequivocally linked to public health. Access to safe and clean water is a fundamental human right and is essential for preventing a significant burden of disease worldwide. Physical parameters influence the aesthetic quality of water and indirectly indicate the presence of pollutants. Water intended for domestic use must be free from pathogenic organisms such as Salmonella, Vibrio cholerae, and Escherichia coli. Ohovbe is a semi-urban area where residents rely primarily on boreholes and wells for drinking and domestic purposes. The socio-demographic data of residents of Ohovbe community were obtained, water access and availability data and also their health status and awareness. The physicochemical and bacteriological parameters of water samples were also analyzed. To safeguard public health, residents should be encouraged to boil or filter their drinking water before consumption, and local authorities should ensure regular monitoring of water sources to maintain compliance with WHO standards