Nigerian Journal of Biotechnology and Life Sciences

Diversity and Ethnobotany of Traditional Plants used in the Management of Heart Diseases in Nasarawa State

YUSUF NASIR — 2026-09-30

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a major public health challenge globally, particularly in developing regions where access to modern healthcare is limited. Traditional medicine remains an integral part of healthcare systems, especially in rural communities. This study investigates the diversity and ethnobotanical knowledge of medicinal plants used in the management of heart diseases in Nasarawa, Nigeria. Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted through semi-structured interviews with local herbalists, traditional healers, and knowledgeable community members. A total of 32 plant species belonging to 25 families were documented, with Moringa oleifera, Carica papaya, and Allium sativum identified as the most frequently cited plants for managing hypertension, heart palpitations, and related ailments. Quantitative ethnobotanical indices such as Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) and Fidelity Level (FL) were used to assess the importance of each species. The study highlighted the rich ethnobotanical knowledge of the Nasarawa community, emphasizing the need for further pharmacological studies to validate the efficacy and safety of these plants. The qualitative phytochemical analysis revealed that all the three most used plants has alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolic compound, tannins and saponins although with exemption of resin which is present in Allium sativum but absent in the other two plants. The quantitative phytochemical revealed that Moringa oleifera has the highest concentration of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins and phenol compared to Allium sativum and Carica papaya. The antioxidant activity of the plants demonstrated a concentration dependent increase in inhibition, the higher the concentration the higher the inhibition. The presence of phytochemicals and their antioxidant activity which are known for their cardio-protective properties confirmed the efficacy of the plants for ethnoboptanical use in the management of heart diseases. Therefore, conservation efforts and the integration of traditional medicine into primary healthcare systems are recommended to preserve this valuable knowledge.

Mapping of Anopheles mosquito Breeding Habitats in Malaria Endemic Communities of Dutse, Jigawa State, Nigeria

Tasiu Shuaibu — 2026-09-30

Mapping of Anopheles mosquitos breeding sites using the Geographic Information System (GIS) will immensely improves the control and management of mosquito vectors transmitting diseases through Collecting information from field surveys will give an insight about the density and distribution pattern of mosquito vector species. As part of the study to map Anopheles mosquito breeding habitats using Geographical Information System, sampling locations were analyzed with entomological variables. Larval surveillance were conducted trice in each of the communities to determine the abundance of Anopheles mosquito larvae,breeding habitats physicochehmical parameters and abundance of breeding habitats. The study shows that Anopheles mosquito larvae were collected from three (3) communities with Sixty nine (69) breeding sites respectively. The breeding sites(Sakwaya, Madobi and Limawa) are located few kilometers away from Dutse metropolis, Madobi and Limawa are semi urban setlements while Sakwaya is a rural settlement. majority of people in the communities are subsistence farmers with some participates in fishing, Animal husbandry, irrigation operations and small businesses. Most of the inhabitants in the study village lives in concrete and mud dwellings. The breeding sites in these communities were located at 3-8 m from human habitations except in Limawa with 200-400m. Map of communities shows that higher number (103,638) of Anopheles mosquito larvae were found in the three (3)study communitiesSakwaya Madobi and Limawa. 69,132(66.7%) in Sakwaya community, 33,851(32.7%) in Madobi community and 655(0.6%) in Limawa Community respectively. The distribution of temperature in the Anopheles mosquito larval breeding habitats of the Larval Source Management (LSM) intervention communities in Dutse, Jigawa State indicates that the temperature pattern of the breeding habitats in the map reveals that the Anopheles larvae breeding habitats in Sakwaya community are characterized with very low temperature(Dark blue), however in Madobi and Limawa communities Anopheles mosquito larvae breeding habitats are characterized with very high temperature(Dark pink) respectively. Based on the distribution of PH in the Anopheles mosquito larvae breeding habitats of Larval Source Management (LSM) intervention communities in Dutse LGA results shows that Sakwaya Community breeding habitats was characterized with very high pH (dark pink zone) followed by Madobi community breeding habitats characterized with very low pH (Dark blue zone) while the Limawa community breeding habitats was characterized with a low pH (Orange colour zone) respectively. This study reveals that there is need for expanding the use of GIS tools with the aim of developing entomological surveillance studies in Jigawa State and Nigeria at large. The use of GIS tool for mapping Anopheles mosquito vectors will inform adequate planning, management and control of endemic malaria vector diseases in Nigeria.

Enterococci in Meat: Understanding Consequences on Health and Food Safety

Adamu Idris — 2026-09-30

The focus of this review is the occurrence of Enterococci in meat and its consequence on health and food safety. Two species most commonly encountered in food as well as in hospital infections are Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium. Members of the genus Enterococci are well known for their resistance to high temperatures, pH and salt concentrations. They are also known for their widespread resistance to a broad spectrum of antibiotics including some antibiotics of last resort such as vancomycin and linezolid. Antibiotic resistance is mostly mediated by genes borne on the chromosomes, plasmids or transposable elements. This also means they can acquire and transfer resistance easily. In addition, they possess a number of virulence determinants that aide invasion and colonization, as well as biofilm formation. Enterococci are found in different environments including soils, water, wastewater and slaughterhouses. Because of their widespread presence in different parts of the animal body, Enterococci easily find their way into foods of animal origin such as meat, poultry and milk. Strict personal and environmental hygiene must be observed while processing meat and other foods of animal origin to limit contamination with Enterococci and other foodborne pathogens. Prudent use of antibiotics both in healthcare and animal husbandry must be adopted to minimize the speed and scope of the development of resistace by Enterococci and other pathogens.

Incidence of Typhoid Fever among Patients Diagnosed with Malaria in Gwagwalada, FCT

Patience Agbo Gbilekaa — 2026-09-30

Malaria, typhoid and their co-infection remain the most common febrile illnesses in Nigeria, with overlapping clinical symptoms, making diagnosing almost difficult. This study was aimed at investigating the incidence of typhoid fever among patients diagnosed with malaria infection. 100 blood samples, collected from febrile patients (63 females and 37 males) between the ages of 11–60 years were screened for malaria parasites using thick and thin blood film stains. Typhoid fever was screened using the Widal-agglutination test and re-confirmed with blood culture, followed by biochemical characterization. 62 (62%) samples were positive for malaria. Of all 62 malaria positive samples, 27 (43.5%) were positive for widal test while 35 (56.4%) were negative. Blood culture confirmed 33 (53.2%) of 62 malaria-positive samples for Salmonella spp., indicating a marked discrepancy between the two diagnostic methods. Malaria-typhoid co-infection recorded 15 (24.1%). The 21–30 years of age group recorded the highest number of malaria to typhoid cases, while age 11-20 years recorded the highest number of co-infection. Females (63%) constituted a higher proportion of the study population than males (37%). The association between the number of malaria positive cases with age and positive cases for widal and culture was not statistically significant. The findings revealed that although malaria typhoid co-infection is genuinely present in the study population, the Widal test overestimates its true prevalence due to its low specificity. It is recommended that blood culture be adopted as a confirmatory diagnostic tool to improve the accuracy of typhoid fever diagnosis among malaria patients.