Browsing by Author "Nakayinga, Ritah"

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Effect of Land Use Activities on Water Quality and Vegetation Cover Change in Nsooba - Lubigi Wetland System, Kampala City
(East African Journal of Biophysical and Computational Sciences, 2024-10-07) Twesigye, Charles K.; Igunga, Kennedy; Nakayinga, Ritah
An assessment of the effect of land use activities on water quality and vegetation cover change in Nsooba - Lubingi Wetland System in Kampala city was conducted between July and October 2020. In order to achieve the set objectives, twelve locations were selected from the Nsooba - Lubingi Catchment. The physico-chemical characteristics of water along the catchment area were determined by standard analytical methods. The average values for Total Dissolved Solids across all the land-use types of wetland, built up areas and agriculture were lower than the National Standard (750 mg/l). A similar pattern of the land-use was observed for the parameters Total phosphorous, Biological oxygen demand, Chemical oxygen demand, Total suspended solids and Total organic carbon, where the observed average values were all below the National Standards of 10 mg/l, 50mg/l, 70mg/l, 50mg/l and 50mg/l, respectively. The Total Nitrogen average value for built-up areas (11.27 mg/l) was higher than the national standard of 10 mg/l while the remaining land use types of wetland (8.05mg/l) and agriculture (5.96mg/l) were below that of the recommended standard. GIS and Remote sensing techniques were used to analyze highresolution satellite imagery captured during 1998, 2008 and 2018. Wetland coverage declined by approximately 5 hectares (47.2% to 14.58%) from 1998 to 2018. Although most of the measured parameters were below the National standard specified by the Uganda National Environmental Management Authority apart from Total Nitrogen for built-up areas, there is need for close monitoring of the water quality in Nsooba - Lubingi catchment to ensure public health safety. The increased built-up environment in the Nsooba - Lubigi wetland affects ecosystems services of the wetland. The buffer zones for flood control and sewage treatment have been turned into built-up environment. The results from this study suggest a need to protect the Nsooba - Lubingi catchment for its important ecosystems services of flood control and sewage treatment.
Isolation, characterization and genome analysis of the orphan phage Kintu infecting Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum
(BMC Microbiology, 2024-11-18) Nakayinga, Ritah; Ntulume, Ibrahim; Wagemans, Jeroen; Vallino, Marta; Kanaabi, Reagan; Kajubi, Ali; Kwetegyeka, Justus
Background Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum is responsible for the widespread Banana Xanthomonas Wilt in banana cultivation regions across the globe. Biocontrol measures for disease management remain limited amidst increasing antimicrobial resistance and unsustainable conventional agricultural practices. The purpose of this study is to explore a viable alternative or adjunct strategy through the use of bacteriophages for disease management. Results Kintu was isolated from sewage and displayed clear and circular plaques measuring 3 mm. Based on transmission electron microscopy, Kintu displays siphovirus characteristics, including an icosahedral head and a non-contractile tail. Kintu infects 78% (22 out of 28) Ugandan Xvm strains, has an optimal multiplicity of infection of 1, a 10 min adsorption and latent period, a 35 min burst period, and a burst size of 15 particles per bacterium. Phage titers remain stable for two and half months (75 days) in SM buffer at -20 oC and − 40 oC but decrease significantly (p ≤ 0.0001) at 4 oC. Kintu is active at pH 3 and 11, maintains viability at temperatures between 25 oC and 120 oC and tolerates UV irradiation for up to 2 min and 20 s. Kintu inhibits Xvm growth at MOI ratios of 0.1, 1 and 10. The genome is a double stranded DNA molecule that consists of 48,985 base pairs and a G + C content of 51.71%. Antibiotic resistance genes or genes associated with a lysogenic life cycle are absent. There is limited sequence similarity of Kintu with other phages, making it a novel phage belonging to an unclassified genus of the class Caudoviricetes. Conclusion Kintu is a novel bacteriophage that infects and lyses Xanthomonas vasicola pv. musacearum, the causative agent for Banana Xanthomonas Wilt. Its stability across diverse temperatures and pH conditions highlights its potential as a biocontrol agent for managing the disease.
Knowledge and attitude of nosocomial infection prevention and control precautions among healthcare personnel at Kiruddu Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda
(BMC Health Services Research, 2025-01-28) Ekakoro, Newton; Nakayinga, Ritah ; Kaddumukasa, Martha A. ; Mbatudde, Maria
Background A key concern for global public health is nosocomial infections. Essential to the fight against nosocomial infection, is healthcare professionals’ knowledge and attitudes. Therefore, this study investigated healthcare professionals’ knowledge and attitudes toward nosocomial infection at the Kiruddu Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda. Methods A facility-based cross-sectional study was carried out at Kiruddu Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. We selected the participants using simple random sampling. Data were collected from a total of 78 healthcare personnel using pretested, structured, self-administered questionnaires. We used SPSS version 20.0 for data analysis and applied descriptive statistics to present the frequencies and percentages. Pearson’s Chi-square test was used to evaluate the association between independent factors and knowledge and attitude (KA) ratings on hospital-acquired infection (HAI) prevention. P-values less than 0.05 were regarded as statistically significant. Results Among the different categories of health workers, doctors exhibited the highest level of knowledge. There was a significant association between knowledge scores and occupation (χ2LR = 25.610; P = 0.000). The mean knowledge scores across different infection prevention aspects were as follows: hand hygiene (82.2 ± 18.9), PPE use (71.8 ± 23.1), sharp disposal and sharp injuries (59.2 ± 25.7), and waste management (57.4 ± 29.9). Notably, 20.5% of participants did not change PPE between patients, and 44.9% indicated that their workload negatively impacted their ability to follow infection prevention standards. Conclusion The study highlighted gaps in healthcare personnel’s knowledge and attitudes toward infection prevention. It is therefore important to provide regular targeted training programs emphasizing underrepresented areas, PPE availability, strengthen policy enforcement, and integrate infection prevention education into medical and nursing curricula.
Xanthomonas bacteriophages: a review of their biology and biocontrol applications in agriculture
(BMC Microbiology, 2021-10-25) Nakayinga, Ritah; Makumi, Angela; Tumuhaise, Venansio; Tinzaara, William
Phytopathogenic bacteria are economically important because they affect crop yields and threaten the livelihoods of farmers worldwide. The genus Xanthomonas is particularly significant because it is associated with some plant diseases that cause tremendous loss in yields of globally essential crops. Current management practices are ineffective, unsustainable and harmful to natural ecosystems. Bacteriophage (phage) biocontrol for plant disease management has been of particular interest from the early nineteenth century to date. Xanthomonas phage research for plant disease management continues to demonstrate promising results under laboratory and field conditions. AgriPhage has developed phage products for the control of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria and Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri. These are causative agents for tomato, pepper spot and speck disease as well as citrus canker disease. Phage-mediated biocontrol is becoming a viable option because phages occur naturally and are safe for disease control and management. Thorough knowledge of biological characteristics of Xanthomonas phages is vital for developing effective biocontrol products. This review covers Xanthomonas phage research highlighting aspects of their ecology, biology and biocontrol applications.