DrChika

Dr. Chika Ejikeugwu (Ph.D., 2017, UNIZIK, Nigeria) is a distinguished microbiologist, researcher, and educator with an impressive international profile. He is a Fellow of the renowned Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Stiftung in Germany and currently holds a Research Fellowship at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Leipzig, Germany. His ongoing research within the soilRESIST project investigates the effects of antibiotic mixtures on soil microbiomes, addressing critical challenges in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and environmental microbiology. Dr. Ejikeugwu is the visionary founder and developer of Africa's leading microbiology platform, www.MicrobiologyClass.net, a widely recognized and trusted knowledge hub that supports students, professionals, and researchers across the continent and beyond. This platform has become a cornerstone in advancing microbiology education and research in Africa. Throughout his career, Dr. Ejikeugwu has held prestigious research positions globally. He was awarded the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Fellowship for Experienced Researchers in 2023 and is currently conducting research on AMR in soil ecosystems at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Leipzig, Germany, as a Senior Humboldt Research Fellow. Previously, he held a DAAD Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) in Berlin, Germany, in 2021, and a MIF Postdoctoral Fellowship at Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, in 2018. His groundbreaking work in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) earned him the esteemed Young Investigator Award on AMR from Institut Mérieux, France, in 2021. Additionally, he is a recipient of the NIH CAMRA grant for AMR research, with his project focusing on antimicrobial resistance in poultry environments. Dr. Ejikeugwu is a dynamic member of the Global Young Academy (GYA), Germany, and holds memberships in several prominent professional organizations, including Applied Microbiology International (AMI), the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), the Nigerian Society for Microbiology (NSM), and the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). He earned his doctorate in Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology and serves as a Senior Lecturer and Researcher at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Nigeria. In this role, he is deeply committed to mentoring undergraduate and postgraduate students, fostering their academic development, and nurturing the next generation of microbiologists. Driven by a passion for teaching, cutting-edge research, and community development, Dr. Ejikeugwu continues to make significant contributions to the global microbiology landscape.

NEISSERIA GONORRHOEAE

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a Gram-negative, oxidase-positive, non-motile, non-sporulating, non-capsulate, diplococcus found asymptomatically in humans. N. gonorrhoeae is found in the family Neisseriaceae and genus Neisseria which contains two important human pathogens viz: N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis (which causes meningococcal meningitis, an inflammation of the meninges of the brain and spinal cord).  Though the syndromes […]

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Bacteriology, , , , ,

MICROBIAL HAEMOLYSIS IN BLOOD AGAR

Haemolysis is the breakdown of red blood cells (RBCs). Certain bacterial species including Streptococcus and Staphylococcus species produce extracellular enzymes that lyse or breakdown the red blood cell component of whole blood. Such bacteria require additional growth factors for growth; and when such bacterial species are cultured in vitro in culture media (e.g. blood agar),

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Bacteriology, Biochemical Tests in Microbiology Lab, , ,

HISTORY OF ANTIBIOTICS – a synopsis on how it all started

Over the past 70 years, antibiotics have saved countless number of lives across the globe and enabled the further development of modern medicine as well as antimicrobial agents of diverse types with putative activity against pathogenic microorganisms. Despite the current state of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) globally, these antibiotics are currently used to counter the nefarious

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Pharmaceutical Microbiology, , ,

BACTERIAL ENZYMES THAT EXCITE PATHOGENICITY

Pathogenic bacteria produce numerous enzymes that help to increase their pathogenicity and/or virulence during an infection. These enzymes are extracellularly produced, and they are unique features of some pathogenic bacteria that help in their pathogenicity and virulence in their host. Extracellular enzymes help in the disease forming process of pathogenic bacteria even though they may

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Bacteriology,

EXOTOXIN PRODUCING BACTERIA

Exotoxins are extracellular toxins produced by living bacterial cells. They are protein molecules excreted by growing bacteria into the surrounding medium where the bacterium grows or into the tissues, cells and circulatory system of their human host. Exotoxins are diffusible in nature, and they are produced by both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. They are known

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Bacteriology, ,

Characteristics of Pathogenic Microorganisms (Bacteria)

Bacterial pathogens that cause infections in humans have innate characteristic mechanisms with which they use to suppress the immune response of their host in their bid to establish a disease process. Initiation of an infectious process leads to the development of signs and symptoms in the human host, and these syndromes helps to announce the

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Bacteriology, ,