Farmers' knowledge and opinions towards bollgard II® implementation in cotton production in western Burkina Faso

In 2008, the commercial cultivation of Genetically Modified (GM) cotton (Bollgard II (R)) started in Burkina Faso. The adoption rate increased rapidly in subsequent years to reach around 70% in 2014. Although some criticisms were raised concerning the suitability of the technology for the farming system in Burkina Faso, the introduction of transgenic cotton in the country was generally regarded as a great success. Despite this, during the 2016-2017 agricultural campaign, the government of Burkina Faso decided to suspend the cultivation of Bollgard II (R). In this context, this paper investigates farmers' knowledge, perceptions, opinions and attitudes towards Bollgard II (R) as well as their views on the recent decision to suspend its cultivation. Data was collected from 324 cotton farmers, both growers of conventional and Bollgard II (R). The results showed that the farmers surveyed had a poor knowledge concerning the core concepts of biotechnology and Bollgard II (R) in particular. Moreover, the regulatory oversight of the implementation of the technology was found insufficient, as illustrated by the lack of compliance with prescriptions concerning refuge areas and pesticide treatments. Nevertheless, overall, the farmers interviewed had a slightly positive opinion about the effects on yield, income and their wellbeing. In particular the reduction in pesticide treatments was perceived very positively by all respondents. Although the study finds that the majority of farmers disagreed with the recent suspension of Bt cotton cultivation by the government, it also makes clear that a thorough debate on the technology and its implementation is necessary

Phenotypic detection of Metallo-β-Lactamase in imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia at Schiphra Hospital of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso

Background: Epidemic of carbapenemase-producing bacteria has become worldwide. Thus, during the last decade, the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and non fermentative Gram-negative bacteria in human patients have increased. Carbapenemase-producing bacteria are usually multidrug resistant. Therefore, early recognition of carbapenemase producers is critical to prevent their spread. Objectives: The aim of this study was to contribute establishing the prevalence of isolates producing Metallo-β-Lactamase isolated from patients admitted to Schiphra Hospital of Ouagadougou. Methods: Susceptibility of bacteria to antimicrobial agents was evaluated by disc diffusion method using imipenem as screening antibiotic. The combination of imipenem-EDTA was used after detection the resistance to imipenem. Results: A total of 52 isolates resisting one of the third generation cephalosporins were collected. Five isolates showed an intermediary resistance to imipenem (9.61%). Two isolates were resistant to imipenem-EDTA (3.85%). The test of imipenem-EDTA was done to confirm to production of Metallo-β-Lactamase. The hydrolysis of bacterial extract by meropenem was confirmed by production with a kinetic activity at spectrophotometer V0=4.77x10–5µM/min for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and V0=1.183x10-4 µM/min for Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Conclusion: This study showed that bacterial resistances by production to metallo-β-lactamases are a reality in Burkina Faso

Dynamics of germs responsible for acute bacterial meningitis in Burkina Faso in the last ten years (2005-2014)

The aim of this study was to analyze ten (10) years of epidemiological surveillance data of meningitis in Burkina Faso for high risk germs patterns identification in order to contribute to the strengthening of prevention strategies.A retrospective study of the past decade (2005- 2014) of cases of acute bacterial meningitis occurred in the thirteen health regions, collected through epidemiological surveillance data meningitis in Burkina Faso. From a total of 88 057 suspected cases of acute bacterial meningitis, we recorded 9134 deaths. From the laboratory confirmed cases, the identified germs were as follows: 56.79% of Neisseria meningitidis, 41.09% of Streptococcus pneumoniae and 2.13% of Haemophilus influenzae. Among the meningococcus isolated, we observed the following distribution: 23.11% of NmA, 58.84% of NmW and 18% of NmX.Mortality associated with acute bacterial meningitis remains still high in Burkina Faso despite the complete disappearance of NmA since 2012, after the conjugate vaccine A (MenAfriVac) has been introduced in this country. However the emergence of NmX, the reemergence of NmW and the persistence of high prevalence of Streptococcus pneumoniae are a major concern in the fight against meningitis in Burkina Faso. So, it is necessary, in addition to the strengthening of surveillance, diagnosis and case management to develop and make available and accessible a conjugate trivalent vaccine against NmA the NmX and NmW serogroups.Keywords: meningococcal meningitis, W and X serogroups, Streptococcus pneumoniae, MenAfriVa

Towards innovative solutions for monitoring precipitation in poorly instrumented regions: real-time system for collecting power levels of microwave links of mobile phone operators for rainfall quantification in Burkina Faso

Since the 1990s, mobile telecommunication networks have gradually become denser around the world. Nowadays, large parts of their backhaul network consist of commercial microwave links (CMLs). Since CML signals are attenuated by rainfall, the exploitation of records of this attenuation is an innovative and an inexpensive solution for precipitation monitoring purposes. Performance data from mobile operators’ networks are crucial for the implementation of this technology. Therefore, a real-time system for collecting and storing CML power levels from the mobile phone operator “Telecel Faso” in Burkina Faso has been implemented. This new acquisition system, which uses the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), can simultaneously record the transmitted and received power levels from all the CMLs to which it has access, with a time resolution of one minute. Installed at “Laboratoire des Matériaux et Environnement de l’Université Joseph KI-ZERBO (Burkina Faso)”, this acquisition system is dynamic and has gradually grown from eight, in 2019, to more than 1000 radio links of Telecel Faso’s network in 2021. The system covers the capital Ouagadougou and the main cities of Burkina Faso (Bobo Dioulasso, Ouahigouya, Koudougou, and Kaya) as well as the axes connecting Ouagadougou to these citie

Detection, identification and characterization of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases producing Enterobacteriaceae in wastewater and salads marketed in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) represent a threat for failure of empirical antibiotic therapy and are associated with high mortality, morbidity and expenses. The aims of this study was to determine the prevalence of ESBL-PE and multidrug resistant enterobacteria (MDR), enterobacteria profil, investigate the associated resistance in wastewater and salads. After wastewater and salad sampling, enterobacteria was isoled on (EMB + 4μg / L cefotaxim). The stains of Enterobacteriaceae were identified by using biochemical methods and confirmed as ESBL by double-disc synergy test (amoxicillin/clavulanic acid with cefotaxime 30 μg, ceftazidime 30 μg and ceftriaxone 30 μg). Finally, the associated resistance was investigated by testing the susceptibility of the strains by the disc diffusion method. Global prevalence of ESBL-PE was 53.92% (95% CI: 48,2-59,5) (153/293), 61.11% from wastewater and 42.47% from salads. Major ESBL-E was Escherichia coli (73.44%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (21.88%). Resistance to the aminoglycoside , fluroquinolonones and sulfonamides classes were dominant, observed in 53,83%, 93,86% and 98,95% of the isolates, respectively. The frequence of MDR was hight to channel1 (32,40%) and channel2 (26,26%). This study reports very worrying results. There is an urgent need to develop measures to monitor the spread of these multidrug-resistant strains.Keywords: Wastewater, ESBL-PE, Salads, Ouagadougou

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of meningococcal carriage and disease isolates in Burkina Faso after mass vaccination with a serogroup a conjugate vaccine

BACKGROUND: The conjugate vaccine against serogroup A Neisseria meningitidis (NmA), MenAfriVac, was first introduced in mass vaccination campaigns of the 1-29-year-olds in Burkina Faso in 2010. The aim of this study was to genetically characterize meningococcal isolates circulating in Burkina Faso before and up to 13 months after MenAfriVac mass vaccination. METHODS: A total of 1,659 meningococcal carriage isolates were collected in a repeated cross-sectional carriage study of the 1-29-year-olds in three districts of Burkina Faso in 2010 and 2011, before and up to 13 months after mass vaccination. Forty-two invasive isolates were collected through the national surveillance in Burkina Faso in the same period. All the invasive isolates and 817 carriage isolates were characterized by serogroup, multilocus sequence typing and porA-fetA sequencing. RESULTS: Seven serogroup A isolates were identified, six in 2010, before vaccination (4 from carriers and 2 from patients), and one in 2011 from an unvaccinated patient; all were assigned to sequence type (ST)-2859 of the ST-5 clonal complex. No NmA carriage isolate and no ST-2859 isolate with another capsule were identified after vaccination. Serogroup X carriage and disease prevalence increased before vaccine introduction, due to the expansion of ST-181, which comprised 48.5% of all the characterized carriage isolates. The hypervirulent serogroup W ST-11 clone that was responsible for most of meningococcal disease in 2011 and 2012 was not observed in 2010; it appeared during the epidemic season of 2011, when it represented 40.6% of the serogroup W carriage isolates. CONCLUSIONS: Successive clonal waves of ST-181 and ST-11 may explain the changing epidemiology in Burkina Faso after the virtual disappearance of NmA disease and carriage. No ST-2859 strain of any serogroup was found after vaccination, suggesting that capsule switching of ST-2859 did not occur, at least not during the first 13 months after vaccination

Fréquence et profils microbiologiques des infections urinaires chez les patients porteurs de sonde à demeure au Laboratoire de Bactériologie du Centre Muraz

Titre court : Fréquence et microbiologie des infections urinaires sur sonde L’infection du tractus urinaire représente un risque majeur chez les personnes porteuses de sonde urinaire. Le risque et le profil des microorganismes en cause peuvent être influencé par l’hygiène précaire dans les structures de soins ainsi qu’au domicile du patient. La présente étude avait pour but de déterminer la fréquence et le profil des agents étiologiques des infections du tractus urinaire chez les patients porteurs de sonde à demeure, reçus pour Examen Cytobactériologique des Urines au Laboratoire de Bactériologie du Centre Muraz. Au total 47 patients ont été inclus dans cette étude entre le 01 Juin 2020 et le 16 Septembre 2021. Parmi ces derniers, le sex-ratio était égal à 14,67 soit 44 patients de sexe masculin, et la moyenne d’âge était de 66,91 avec des extrêmes 25 ans et 98 ans. Cette étude a mis en évidence le fait que les entérobactéries (en particulier E. coli et K. pneumoniae) représentent les agents étiologiques majeurs des infections du tractus urinaire chez les patients porteurs de sondes à demeure avec des cas de résistance importants à la Ceftriaxone, à l’Amoxicilline-Clavulanate et à la Norfloxacine. Ces résultats mettent en lumière le risque élevé d’infection du tractus urinaire chez les porteurs de sondes à demeure, en particulier chez les patients âgés de sexe masculin. Ce risque semble aussi associé à une résistance aux antibiotiques et nécessite un renforcement de l’hygiène pour sa diminution mais également pour un diagnostic de qualité.   Frequency and microbiological profile of urinary tract infections in patients with indwelling catheters at Bacteriology Laboratory of Centre Muraz Short title : Frequency and microbiology of urinary catheter infections   Urinary tract infection is a major risk for people with urinary catheters. The risk and profile of the microorganisms involved can be influenced by poor hygiene in healthcare facilities as well as in the patient's home. The purpose of the present study was to determine the frequency and the profile of urinary tract infections etiological agents in patients with indwelling catheters, requesting Cytobacteriological Examination of the Urine at the Bacteriology Laboratory of Centre Muraz. A total of 47 patients were enrolled in this study between June 01, 2020 and September 16, 2021. Among these, the sex-ratio was equal to 14.67 or 44 male and the average age was 66.91 with extremes of 25 years and 98 years. This study highlighted the fact that enterobacteria (in particular E. coli and K. pneumoniae) represent the major etiological agents of urinary tract infections in patients with indwelling catheters, with significant drug resistance cases associated to Ceftriaxone, Amoxicillin-Clavulanate and Norfloxacin.These results highlight the high risk of urinary tract infection in indwelling tube carriers, especially in elderly male patients. This risk also seems to be associated with antibiotic resistance and requires a strengthening of hygiene for its reduction but also for a quality diagnosis