Toxic potential evaluation of liquid effluents discharged into nature by the university hospital centers (UHC) and mixed wastewater treatment station (WWTS) at Ouagadougou-Burkina Faso.

In Burkina Faso, several investigations have raised suspicions that hospital liquid effluents are the source of contaminants in porbeagle-culture products and surface water in urban and peri-urban areas. This study aimed to evaluate the hygienic quality of hospital liquid effluents discharged into nature by the UHC Bogodogo (UHC-BOG), Yalgado Ouédraogo (UHC-YO), and the WWTS of Kossodo (WWTS-KOS). Thus, 15 samples of liquid effluents (five per site) discharged into nature were collected. Within the physicochemical parameters, the pH, chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), suspended solids (TSS), conductivity, copper, iron, hafnium, silver, mercury, lead, and cadmium of these samples were determined using standard methods. The mean values of pH were 8.84 ± 0.42,8.06 ± 0.54, and 8.55 ± 0.53 for WWTS-KOS, UHC-BOG, and UHC-YO, respectively. Conductivity values were 1956.80 ± 81.30, 812.80 ± 45.22, and 956.00 ± 39.96 µS/cm, respectively. TSS were 338.20 ± 38.80, 45.00 ± 5.79, and 187.80 ± 27.58 mg/L, respectively. COD were 274.80 ± 20.46, 35.00 ± 5.52, and 139.80 ± 25.53 mg/L, respectively. BOD5 were 186.40 ± 68.68, 26.20 ± 4.82, and 81.80 ± 15.63 mg/L, respectively. Mercury values were 1.93 ± 0.38, 4.04 ± 0.38, and 14.37 ± 1.65 µg/L, respectively. Lead values were 434.70 ± 202.42, 310.50 ± 4.09, and 367.43 ± 94.01 µg/L, respectively. Cadmium values were 79.59 ± 19.48, 109.94 ± 8.43, and 80.26 ± 7.85 µg/L, respectively. Copper values were 27.66 ± 3.33, 30.84 ± 1.65, and 28.32 ± 2.36 mg/L, respectively. Iron was detected only on the STEP-KOS with an average of 71.01 ± 37.83 mg/L. Hafnium values were 50.27 ± 4.49 and 51.58 ± 4.61 mg/L for WWTS-KOS and UHC-BOG, respectively. Silver values were 34.26 ± 3.06 for WWTS-KOS. On the three sites, the differences found were significant (p < 0.05). Liquid hospital effluents from Ouagadougou discharged into nature on the whole do not compile with the Burkinabè normative values for the discharge of wastewater into the environment.

Characterization of virulence factors of Salmonella isolated from human stools and street food in urban areas of Burkina Faso.

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to identify and functionally characterize virulence genes from Salmonella isolates in street food and stool cultures. From February 2017 to May 2018, clinical and food Salmonella strains were isolated in three regions in Burkina Faso. Salmonella was serotyped according to the White-Kauffmann-Le Minor method, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detec invA, spvR, spvC, fimA and stn virulence genes commonly associated with salmonellosis in Sub-Saharan Africa. RESULTS: A total of 106 Salmonella isolates (77 human stools; 14 sandwiches) was analyzed using a serological identification with an O-group test reagent. The presence of Salmonella was confirmed in 86% (91/106) of the samples were reactive (OMA-positive/OMB-positive). Salmonella serogroup O:4,5 was the most common serogroup detected (40%; 36/91). Salmonella Enteritidis and Typhimurium represented 5.5% (5/91) and 3.3% (3/91), respectively and were identified only from clinical isolates. Furthermore, 14 serotypes of Salmonella (12/91 human strains and 2/15 sandwich strains) were evocative of Kentucky/Bargny serotype. For the genetic profile, 66% (70/106) of the Salmonella had invA and stn genes; 77.4% (82/106) had the fimA gene. The spvR gene was found in 36.8% (39/106) of the isolates while 48.1% (51/106) had the spvC gene. Among the identified Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Typhimurium isolated from stools, the virulence genes detected were invA (3/5) versus (2/3), fimA (4/5) versus (3/3), stn (3/5) versus (2/3), spvR (4/5) versus (2/3) and spvC (3/5) versus (2/3), respectively. CONCLUSION: This study reports the prevalence of Salmonella serotypes and virulence genes in clinical isolates and in street foods. It shows that food could be a significant source of Salmonella transmission to humans. Our results could help decision-making by the Burkina Faso health authority in the fight against street food-related diseases, in particular by training restaurateurs in food hygiene.

Nutritional, biochemical and microbiological composition of Borassus aethiopum Mart. sap in Burkina Faso.

The palmyra palm Borassus aethiopum Mart. grow wild and gives natural stands in several localities of central-eastern and eastern regions of Burkina Faso. This work aimed to determine the nutritional, biochemical and microbiological composition of fresh palm sap from B. aethiopum Mart. during the first 4 days of tapping. The composition of palm sap was carried out by HPLC and standard methods. The sap collected during the first 4 days were sugary and contained less alcohol. The mean values of the pH, total and reducing sugars content were 4.84 ± 0.5, 11.36 ± 3.97 and 2.93 ± 1.22% w/v respectively. Sucrose, glucose, fructose and Vitamin C values were 6.75% w/v, 4.99 g/L, 7.09 g/L, 8.93% w/v respectively. Galactose and xylose were not detected. Soluble proteins, arabinose, phenols and ethanol were present in low concentration. Calcium, potassium, magnesium and ammonium were present in palm sap with highest potassium content (13.26 g/L). Lactate (2.41 ± 0.86 g/L), succinate (2.49 ± 1.46 g/L), acetate (0.01 ± 0.006 g/L), malate (0.17 ± 0.31 g/L), propionate (0.07 ± 0.04 g/L), citrate (0.19 ± 0.11 g/L), tartrate (0.08 ± 0.09 g/L) and pyruvate (0.05 ± 0.03 g/L) were detected in palm sap. The microbiological analysis of sap gave 1.23 ± 1.01 × 108 cfu/mL for total aerobic flora, 7.27 ± 1.19 × 105 cfu/mL for yeasts, 1.86 ± 1.63 × 107 cfu/mL for lactic acid bacteria and 3.75 ± 0.75 × 105 cfu/mL for acetic acid bacteria. The fresh sap from B. aethiopum presents good nutritional value and its consumption can help to improve dairy food intake of rural population. It can be used for the manufacture of various products like palm wine, syrups, sugars, functional foods, etc.

Emergence of New Delhi Metallo-ß-Lactamase (NDM) Genes Detected from Clinical Strains of Escherichia coli Isolated in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The emergence and spread of carbapenem resistance in Gram-negative bacilli such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa through the production of carbapenemases is a global phenomenon. It threatens patient care and leads to therapeutic impasses. This study aims to genotypically determine the prevalence of the most frequent carbapenemase genes among multidrug-resistant E. coli strains isolated from patients at a biomedical analysis laboratory. A total of fifty-three unduplicated E. coli strains isolated from patient samples with a multidrug-resistant (MDR) profile were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for carbapenem resistance genes. This study allowed us to identify fifteen strains carrying resistance genes among the fifty-three E. coli strains. All fifteen strains produced the metallo-ß-lactamase enzymes; this represents a rate of 28.30% of study strains. Among these strains, ten carried the NDM resistance gene, NDM and VIM genes were detected in three strains and VIM was identified in two strains of E. coli. However, carbapenemases A (KPC and IMI), D (OXA-48), and IMP were not detected in the strains studied. Thus, NDM and VIM are the main carbapenemases detected in the strains in our study.