Molecular Biology and Bioresearch Group

Main Research Focus: Using molecular and traditional biological methods in understanding human and plant
diseases with interests in pathogenesis, virulence and etiology of mycological and bacteriological agents and the
susceptibility of such agents to conventional and plant derived antimicrobial agents.
Title of Most Recent Research Project: Molecular typing of Cryptococcus species isolated from Nigeria.
Name of the Coordinator: Prof Emeka Nweze
UNN email address of the RG: molecular.bioresearchgroup@unn.edu.ng
UNN email address of the Coordinator: emeka.nweze@unn.edu.ng
Current webpage of the RG: https://www.unn.edu.ng/molecular-biology-and-bioresearch-group/
Phone number of the RG: 08022754855
Phone Number of th

Main Research Focus of the RG: Our group is focused on using molecular and traditional biological methods in understanding human and plant diseases with interests in pathogenesis, virulence and etiology of mycological and bacteriological agents and the susceptibility of such agents to conventional and plant derived antimicrobial agents. We are also looking at mycotoxins in food grains as well as the role of nanotechnology in solving these problems

Title of most recent research project: Isolation and Characterization of Aspergillus Species and Aflatoxinsfrom Tobacco Snuff Samples

Amaximum of seven (7) othercurrent or completedresearchprojects

  • Isolation and Characterization of gliotoxin-Producing Aspergillus fumigatus From Clinical and Environmental Sources
  • Pulmonary Aspergillosis in HIVPatients Attending Enugu Ezike General Hospital, Ogrute, Igboeze North G.A, Enugu State.
  • Antimicrobial Peptides Therapy: An Emerging Alternative for Treating Drug-Resistant Bacteria
  • Isolation and Characterization of Aspergillus Species and Aflatoxins from Tobacco Snuff Samples Sold Within Nsukka Geo-political Zone in Enugu State
  • Isolation and Characterization of Aspergillus Species and Aflatoxins from Tobacco Snuff Samples Sold Within Nsukka Geo-political Zone in Enugu Stat

Name of the Coordinator: Prof Emeka Nweze

UNN emailaddress of the RG: molecular.bioresearchgroup@unn.edu.ng

UNN emailaddress of the coordinator: emeka.nweze@unn.edu.ng

Current webpage of the RG: https://www.unn.edu.ng/molecular-biology-and-bioresearch-group/

Phonenumber of the RG: c/o 08022754855

Phone number of thecoordinator: 08022754855

Base Faculty/Institute/Center of the RG: Faculty of Biologicalsciences

Department of the Coordinator: Microbiology

Listandbriefprofiles ofmembers

  • The chairman of the Molecular biology and Bioresearch group is Emeka I Nweze (Email: emeka.nweze@unn.edu.ng, Phone number: 08022754855) of the Department of Microbiology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Prof. Nweze is a medical microbiologist, public health expert and a registered medical laboratory scientist with a wide range of research experience in molecular biology, mycology, bacteriology and plant derived antimicrobial agents. He has published many quality articles in peer-reviewed international and local journals and reviews for over 10 international journals including one where he sits on the editorial board. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of thefaculty of Biological Sciencesresearch Journal, Bio-Research
  • Christopher Onyeke, of the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology is the Vice Chairman of the group. He has master and doctoral degrees in plant pathology and has published in manyqualitylocal and international journals and is on theeditorialboard of Bio-Research journal.
  • Uwakwe Onoja of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka serves as the group project manager and most recently coordinated one of our mycotoxin studies. He is also widely published.
  • Other members include Nweze Justus, MSc and PhD candidate who is a lecturer in the Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Paul Chidebelu, (MSc, Medical Microbiology and PhD candidate) and Mba Ifeanyi MSc student are both members of the research group. They are both graduate students in the Department of Microbiology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka
  • The group is also collaborating with international researchers in different parts of the world such as USA, Germany and The In fact, we are currently carrying out some joint studies with the group in The Netherlands on moleculartyping of Cryptococcus species isolated from Nigeria.

Members Google Scholar Citationlinks

Members Researchgate links

Keypublications of the RG from 2019 till date

  • Ifeanyi Elibe Mba and Emeka Innocent Antimicrobial Peptides Therapy: An Emerging Alternative for Treating Drug-Resistant Bacteria. Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, 95(4): 4):445-463.
  • Mba Ifeanyi Elibe, Nweze Emeka Innocent, Zikky Anyaegbunam and Emmanuel Genomeplasticity in Candidaalbicans: Acutting-edgestrategyforevolution, adaptation,and survival. Infection, Genetics and Evolution (2022), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2022.105256.
  • Chidebelu PE, Nweze EI, Meis JF, Hagen Multi-locus sequence typing reveals genotypic similarity in Nigerian Cryptococcus neoformans AFLP1/VNI of environmental and clinical origin 2021. Journal of Medical Microbiology. DOI 10.1099/jmm.0.001440, In press
  • Akaihe CL and Nweze EI. Epidemiology of Cryptococcus and cryptococcosis in Western Mycoses.2021, 64(1):4-17. Doi: 10.1111/myc.13188.
  • CW Eze, EI Nweze, CA Chemoprotective effects of Allium cepa and Allium sativum on lead acetate–mediated oxidative stress and dyslipidemia in Wistar rats. Comparative Clinical Pathology, 2021,30 (1), 89-95.
  • Chidebelu PE and Nweze EI. The persistence of amoebosis caused by Entamoeba histolytica in Nigeria and the role of nutrition. Ann Parasitol, 2020, 66(3):271-282. Doi: 17420/ap6603.265
  • Mba IE and Nweze EI. Mechanism of Candida pathogenesis: revisiting the vital Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 2020, 39(10):1797-1819. Doi: 10.1007/s10096- 020-03912-w
  • Mba IE and Nweze EI. The use of nanoparticles as alternative therapeutic agents Candida: an up-to-date overview and future World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2020;36(11):163. Doi: 10.1007/s11274-020-02940-0.
  • Nweze Justus Amuche, Nweze Emeka Innocent, Onoja Uwakwe Nutrition, Malnutrition and Leishmaniasis. Nutrition. 2020. 73:110712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2019.110712
  • EI Nweze, IE Genetic relatedness between human and animal Candida albicans isolates recovered from Southeastern Nigeria using random amplification of polymorphic DNA- PCR. Journal of Basic Pharmacology and Toxicology 2020, 4 (1), 16-22
  • JU Okafor and EI Antibiotic susceptibility of Escherichia coli isolated in cases of urinary tract infection in Nsukka, Nigeria. Journal of Pre-Clinicaland Clinical Research.2020. 14(1), 1-7
  • Chidebelu Paul and Nweze Pathogenicity of Cryptococcus neoformans VNI (ST 32) recovered from clinical and environmental samples in Nigeria. Comp Clin Pathol 2019. Comp Clin Pathol 2019, 28, 1013–1024
  • IE Mba, EI (2019). Antifungal resistance profile and enzymatic activity of Candida species recovered from human and animal samples. Bio-Research 17 (1), 1044A-1055A
  • Eneh Chiamaka, Nweze Emeka and Eke Incidence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from different food sources in Enugu, Nigeria. Asian J. Biol. Sci., 2019, 12(4): 671-676.
  • Asogwa Paul Onyedikachi, Nweze Emeka Innocent and Eke Ifeanyichukwu Prevalence, biofilm formation and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of bacterial and fungal etiological agents associated with external ocular infections in Nigeria. Asian J. Biol. Sci., 2019, 12(4): 677-681.

List of patents/exhibitions/shows/productions, etcfrom 2019 till date: Nil

e Coordinator: 08022754855
Base Faculty/Institute/Center: Faculty of Biological Sciences
Department of the Coordinator: Microbiology