Publications by authors named "Peter Wachira"

Although typhoid fever has largely been eliminated in high-income countries, it remains a major global public health concern especially among low- and middle-income countries. The causative agent, serovar Typhi ( Typhi), is a human restricted pathogen with a limited capacity to replicate outside the human host. Human carriers, 90% of whom have gallstones in their gallbladder, continue to shed the pathogen for an ill-defined period of time after treatment.

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Article Synopsis
  • Typhoid fever, caused by the pathogen Typhi, poses a significant global health threat, with 3-5% of treated patients becoming chronic carriers, often linked to gallstones and biofilm formation.
  • The study in Kenya aimed to find asymptomatic typhoid carriers and compare acute and chronic bacterial isolates by following up on patients and their household contacts after treatment.
  • Results showed a longer duration of Typhi shedding in those with gallstones, with a notable presence of multidrug-resistant strains, highlighting the importance of understanding chronic carriers for better public health strategies.
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The causative agent of typhoid fever, serovar Typhi, is a human restricted pathogen. Human carriers, 90% of whom have gallstones in their gallbladder, continue to shed the pathogen after treatment. The genetic mechanisms involved in establishing the carrier state are poorly understood, but .

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The study aimed to screen fungal diversity and ochratoxin A levels on culinary spice and herb samples sold in open-air markets and supermarkets in Nairobi County, Kenya. All herbs were grown in Kenya, while locally-produced and imported spices were purchased from both types of retail outlet. The results showed a high frequency of and species contaminating the samples.

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Chlorpyrifos (CP) is a chlorinated organophosphate pesticide. In Kenya, it is commonly used as an acaricide, particularly in dairy farming, leading to soil and water contamination. The study is aimed at isolating bacteria with CP-degrading potential and optimizing their growth conditions, including temperature, pH, and CP concentration.

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Diseases contribute to attainment of less than 50% of the local groundnut potential yield in Kenya. This study aimed to evaluate the agronomic characteristics (flowering and germination), disease incidence, yield performance (biomass, harvest index, 100-pod, 100-seed, and total pod weight), and aflatoxin accumulation in six peanut varieties. A field experiment was conducted using four newly improved peanut varieties: CG9, CG7, CG12, and ICGV-SM 90704 (Nsinjiro), and two locally used varieties: Homabay local (control) and 12991, and in a randomized complete block design with three replications.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Fungi were identified and characterized using PCR-sequence analysis, confirming their species and revealing that 87% were one species and 13% another.
  • * The research indicated that while the presence of specific biosynthesis genes did not strongly correlate with fungal species or regions, there was a notable association with aflatoxin production, particularly in the newly discovered species prevalent in Eastern Kenya.
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This study was undertaken with an aim of exploring the effectiveness of medicinal plant extracts in the control of aflatoxin production. Antifungal properties, photosensitization, and phytochemical composition of aqueous and organic extracts of fruits from , bark from and leaves from , , and were tested. Spores from four-day-old cultures of previously identified toxigenic fungi, UONV017 and UONV003, were used.

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