The search for antimicrobials in propolis presents a new dimension for addressing the problem of antimicrobial drug resistance. The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial activity of crude propolis extracts and active fractions collected from different regions in Ghana. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts was determined using the agar well diffusion method. The antimicrobial activity of chloroform, ethyl acetate, and petroleum ether fractions of the active samples was determined using the agar well diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the most active fractions were determined. The various crude propolis extracts frequently produced zones of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus (17/20) than Pseudomonas aeruginosa (16/20), and Escherichia coli (1/20) test isolates. Chloroform and ethyl acetate solvents produced fractions possessing greater antimicrobial activity than the petroleum ether fraction. The mean MIC range of the most active fractions was greatest for Staphylococcus aureus (76.0 ± 34.8 mg/mL–48.0 ± 33.0 mg/mL) than for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (40.8 ± 33.3 mg/mL–30.4 ± 6.7 mg/mL) and Escherichia coli as was the mean MBC. Propolis has antimicrobial potential and hence should be exploited as an alternative for the treatment of bacterial infections.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in livestock production is an escalating global public health threat, fuelled in part by the misuse of antibiotics in animal farming. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding antimicrobial use and AMR among poultry farmers in Accra, Ghana. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 400 poultry farmers in five communities across the Greater Accra Region was conducted using a structured questionnaire. The survey collected data on demographics, AMR awareness, antibiotic usage practices (treatment, prophylaxis, or growth promotion), and commonly used antibiotic classes from 14th March to 26th September 2023. Descriptive statistics summarized the findings. Associations between farmer characteristics (age, gender, education, location) and antimicrobial self-medication (treating poultry without veterinary consultation) were evaluated using chi-square tests. A multivariate logistic regression model identified independent demographic predictors of self-medication, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Most farmers (70%) reported self-medicating sick poultry without veterinary consultation, and only 35% of respondents were aware of the concept of AMR. Antibiotics were predominantly used for treating illness (63% of farmers), while 20% used them for prophylaxis and only 4% for growth promotion. The most administered antibiotic classes were tetracyclines (26%), nitrofurans (24%), aminoglycosides (18%), penicillins (17%), and fluoroquinolones (10%). Male farmers and those over 30 years had significantly higher rates of antimicrobial self-medication than female and younger farmers (p < 0.001), and in multivariate analysis, being male (odds ratio ~4.9), age > 30 years (OR ~4.6), and farming in a rural area (OR ~2.7) were independent predictors of self-medication with antibiotics. Conclusions: Inappropriate antibiotic use is highly prevalent among poultry farmers in Accra, and awareness of AMR is low. These findings underscore an urgent need to strengthen veterinary oversight and enforce regulations on antibiotic sales. Educating farmers through a One Health approach is also recommended to promote prudent antibiotic use and curb the rise of antimicrobial resistance.

The rapid emergence of antimicrobial resistance and the preference of consumers for natural products are driving the exploration of herbal skin care products, including soaps. This study aimed to determine the physicochemical and antibacterial properties of herbal soaps formulated from single and combined methanolic extracts of Myristica fragrans and Syzygium aromaticum. The methanolic extracts of Myristica fragrans (Mf), Syzygium aromaticum (Sa), and a combination (MfSa) were used in the formulation of soaps. Antibacterial activities, minimum inhibitory concentrations, minimum bactericidal concentrations, moisture content (MC), total fatty matter (TFM), iodine value (IV), pH, free caustic alkali (FCA), total alkali content (TAC), and foaming capacity (FC) of the formulae were determined. The MC of the formulations ranged from 22.0% to 39.13%, TFM from 35.3% to 52.2%, IV from 0.57 gI₂/100 g to 10.40 gI₂/100 g, pH from 10.35 to 10.54, TAC from 5.81 to 6.06, FCA from 0.0406% to 0.03391%, and FC from 20 cm to 15 cm for the extract formulations. The antibacterial activity of Sa (12.0 ± 3.5 mm) against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 was the greatest, and it had the lowest MIC (2.5 × 10⁻² mg/mL), lowest MBC (6.25 × 10⁻³ mg/mL), and highest activity indices. The MC, TFM, and FC of MfSa were significantly greater than the corresponding values for the non‐extract formula. In conclusion, the Sa extract formula was the most potent in terms of antibacterial activity against S. aureus.

Objective: To describe the profile of Streptococcus pneumoniae, identify research gaps, and provide in‐depth insights into various aspects related to the pathogen.Methods: Google Scholar, PubMed, and ScienceDirect were searched for all studies on the pneumococcus in Ghana that reported on specimen collected, population and sample size, carriage prevalence, incidence of pneumococcal diseases, age of the study population, types of test performed, serotypes identified, antimicrobial susceptibilities, or molecular analysis on the pneumococci for data extraction.Results: Overall, a total of 7954 results were obtained from the three‐database search, and of this, 24 articles were selected after screening. A total of 924 isolates were accounted for by serotyping/serogrouping. The prevalence of pneumococcal carriage in Ghana ranges from 11.0% to 51.4% in the population depending on the age (≤ 24–80 years), sickle cell disease (SCD), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status, or health of the study population, and penicillin (Pen)‐nonsusceptible isolates ranged from 17% to 63%. The prevalence of pneumococci found as the etiologic agent of diseases among Ghanaians ranges from 3.4% for otitis media to 77.7% for meningitis. Overall, the 13‐valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) (PCV‐13) carriage serotypes accounted for 28.4% of the reported pneumococcal isolates. PCV‐13 invasive serotypes accounted for 22.4% of the reported isolates. The non‐PCV‐13 carriage serotypes accounted for most (43.9%) of the reported isolates. In the pre‐PCV‐13 era, the nontypeable (NT) (5.5%) and other nonvaccine types (NVTs) (6.4%) were reported as being predominant. The non‐PCV‐13 serotypes accounted for 4.4% of the reported isolates in invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) cases. Multidrug resistance (MDR) ranged from 7.8% to 100%.Conclusion: Predicting the invasiveness of pneumococci using molecular typing is the way to go in the future as this will provide answers to the extent to which capsular switching is contributing to the pneumococcal disease burden in Ghana almost a decade after introducing PCV‐13. Continuous monitoring of antibiotic resistance patterns at both phenotypic and genotypic levels, along with serotyping and molecular typing, should be a standard practice in the surveillance of pneumococcal disease burden in Ghana.

Purpose: To determine the diversity and distribution of bacteria contaminants on washroom fomites in a public university and their resistance to common antibiotics.Methodology: A sanitation audit was conducted on 21 selected washrooms on seven different blocks in a university. Swabs were collected from 68 washroom fomites for bacterial isolation and biochemical identification. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed for 22 Gram positive and 41 Gram negative bacteria species.Findings: Of 21 washrooms none had toiletries, 71% did not have flowing water and 90% were in the category of generally unclean. Of 169 bacteria isolated Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were the predominant species. Of 68 fomites all had bacterial contaminants with 83.8% having 2 to 3 co-occurring species. Gram positive bacteria isolated were resistant to augmentin (100%), meropenem (94%), penicillin (91%), cefuroxime (86%), vancomycin (86%), erythromycin (67%), cloxacillin (64%), tetracyclin (64%), ciprofloxacin (59%), cotrimoxazole (59%), ampicillin (50%) and gentamicin (36%). Gram negative bacteria isolated were resistant to meropenem (97%), ceftriaxone (95%), ampicillin (93%), cefuroxime (91%), cefotaxime (84%), vancomycin (82%), tetracyclin (80%), cotrimoxazole (78%), chloramphenicol (50%), ciprofloxacin (71%), amikacin (40%) and gentamicin (24%). Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: Previous studies on bacteria on fomites in Ghana have focused on healthcare settings. This study focused on a university campus which is a non-healthcare setting with a high human presence and pressure on existing washroom facilities leading to contamination. The diversity of bacteria on the fomites are representative of clinically significant antibiotic resistant human enteric and skin flora carried by a seemingly healthy population and provide an indication of the potential antibiotic resistance burden in the user community.

Xylopia aethiopica (Dunal) A. Rich. and Sida acuta Burm.f. are widely recognized for their traditional medicinal properties in treating various ailments. This study seeks to uncover the phytochemical composition and antimicrobial potential of combined extracts from these two valuable plant species. We prepared solvent extracts using aqueous, 70% ethanol, absolute ethanol, and methanol from the fruits and leaves of Xylopia aethiopica, along with the leaves of Sida acuta. These extracts were then combined into four new formulations: combined aqueous (CoA), combined absolute ethanol (CoE), combined 70% ethanol (CoE70), and combined methanol (CoM). We meticulously analyzed the phytochemical compositions of these formulations. To gauge their antimicrobial activity, we examined the susceptibility of various control strains to different concentrations of the extracts through the agar well diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined for the most effective combined extracts. Notably, flavonoids were discovered solely in CoA, whereas cyanogenic glycosides were present only in CoM. At a concentration of 200 mg/ml, the extract from the leaves of Xylopia aethiopica (AXL) exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 (17.67 ± 0.47 mm). In comparison, CoE70 yielded significant results against Staphylococcus saprophyticus ATCC 15305 (14.00 ± 0.82 mm). AXL also showed impressive inhibition of Salmonella typhi ATCC 19430 (18.67 ± 0.47 mm) and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 (15.00 ± 0.52 mm). The observed MICs ranged from 25 mg/ml to 3.13 mg/ml. Except for the aqueous extract of Xylopia aethiopica leaves, the combined extracts from Xylopia aethiopica and Sida acuta, produced through various extraction methods, exhibited distinct phytochemical profiles and demonstrated significantly greater antimicrobial activity than their individual counterparts. These compelling findings underscore the potential of these plants in developing more effective antimicrobial treatments.