Upe Francisca Babaiwa

The emergence of multi-drug resistant microbes has rekindled the interest on plant derived compounds as alternatives to existing antimicrobial agents.This study d et e rmi n e d the antimicrobial property of ethyl acetate extract of the fibrous stem of Bryophyllum pinnatum and phytochemical constituents of the fibrous stem. The ethyl acetate extract of the fibrous stem did not show any antimicrobial activity against the clinical fungal and bacterial isolates at 0.3g/mL concentration of the extract. Phytochemical analysis showed that alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins,saponins and glycoside which are responsible for antimicrobial activity were not detected. Gas Chromatography -Mass Spectroscopy also identified various phytocomponents. The ethyl acetate extract did not show anti-microbial activity.

The nasal cavity hosts a wide array of organisms. Pathogenic organisms may find access into the sinuses leading to infection. Plasmids, which are small extracellular DNA molecules, play a role by transferring resistance encoded genes among bacteria, facilitating the spread of antibiotic resistance. By investigating the role of plasmid genes in potential treatment failures, the research seeks to broaden our understanding on how plasmids mediate
antibiotic resistance. This knowledge is key for developing effective strategies to combat
sinusitis disease using anti microbialagents.
Methods: The study evaluated forty-three patients from the Ear Nose and Throat Clinic of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin city. Patient’s data collected were age,gender, alcoholhistory, smokinghistory, medical history. Isolates obtainedwere subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing and plasmid curing with acridine orange as the curing agentusingstandardagardiscdiffusionmethod. Results: A total of 58.1% of our study participants were female, and 41.9% were male. Participants aged 16-25 had the highest sinusitis occurrence (27.9%). Nasal discharge was the most encountered symptom across all participants. Staphylococcus aureus dominated in
the nasal cavity of study participants (35.1% aerobic) compared to other organisms isolated. Pseudomonas aeruginosa accounted for the highest abundance (31.3%) under anaerobic condition. Multi-drug resistance was observed in 23.4% and 25% of total aerobic and anaerobic isolates respectively. Resistance to fluoroquinolones was lost post curing in Staphylococcusspp,Klebsiellaspp.
Conclusion: Females were more susceptible to sinusitis with recurrent episodes experienced compared to males. The presence of plasmid-mediated multidrug resistance genes
underscores the need for antibiograms, and rational antibiotics use insinusitis treatment.