Identification and Study of the Antibiotic Sensitivity of Bacteria Associated with Clinical Mastitis of Small Ruminants in the Region of Dakar

Mastitis is one of the most important diseases in dairy farming. It is responsible for very important quantitative and qualitative economic losses. This condition is often overlooked in small ruminants and treatment is usually done without bacteriological analysis. The objective of this study was to investigate the bacterial causes of clinical mastitis in small ruminants and study their sensitivity to antibiotics. Hence, a study was conducted from December 2006 to September 2007 in urban and peri-urban area of Dakar, on 103 milk samples collected in small ruminants with clinical mastitis. Bacteriological analysis was used to isolate the vast majority of staphylococci, especially S. aureus (30%). The antibiogram revealed sensitivity of staphylococci and bacilli to gentamicin (100%). S. aureus had a good sensitivity to the association Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole (66.67%), Doxycycline (66.67%), amoxicillin (66.67%) and ampicillin (62.5 %). On the contrary, considerable resistance to S. aureus to penicillin, the Norfloxacin and colistin was noted. In the light of these findings, recommendations were made for the treatment and prevention of clinical mastitis.Keywords: Goat; Sheep; Clinical mastitis; Bacteria; antibiotics; Daka

Prevalence of bovine brucellosis and related risk behavior in the suburban area of Dakar, Senegal

The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and the frequency of risk behaviors in the zoonotic transmission of bovine brucellosis in suburban Dakar. The individual serological status of 300 cattle distributed in thirty farms in this area was determined by the rose Bengal and complement fixation tests. The frequency of risk behaviors toward this zoonosis was determined using two epidemiological surveys that inventoried the known risk factors of brucellosis transmission between animals and humans. Taking into account the sensitivity and specificity of rose Bengal and complement fixation tests used in series, i.e. 85% and 98.75 %, respectively, the true prevalence was estimated to be 36.36%. At least one animal was infected in 96.6% of the herds. Positivity to the complement fixation test was significantly associated with age, breed, abortion and the presence of bursitis in cattle. The risk behaviors the most frequently observed in humans in this area were: assisting during calving and abortion, handling of aborted fetuses without gloves, and consuming unpasteurized raw or curd milk and fresh cheese. These results show that brucellosis is present in dairy cattle farms in suburban Dakar. Since the milk produced in these farms is used to supply the city of Dakar, measures must be developed to promote brucellosis prevention methods aimed at Dakar’s population

Enhancement of the Catalytic Effect on the Electrochemical Conversion of CO₂ to Formic Acid Using MXene (Ti₃C₂T_x)-Modified Boron-Doped Diamond Electrode

The rising concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) as one of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is a major source of worry. Electrochemical reduction of CO2 is one of many ways to convert CO2 gas into usable compounds. An electrochemical technique was applied in this study to reduce CO2 using a boron-doped diamond (BDD) working electrode modified with MXene (Ti3C2Tx) material to improve electrode performance. MXene concentrations of 0.5 mg/mL (MXene-BDD 0.5), 1.0 mg/mL (MXene-BDD 1.0), and 2.0 mg/mL (MXene-BDD 2.0) were drop-casted onto the BDD surface. MXene was effectively deposited on top of the BDD surface, with Ti weight loads of 0.12%, 4.06%, and 7.14% on MXene-BDD 0.5, MXene-BDD 1.0, and MXene-BDD 2.0, respectively. The modified working electrode was employed for CO2 electroreduction with optimal CO2 gas aeration. The existence of the MXene substance in BDD reduced the electroreduction overpotential of CO2. For the final result, we found that the MXene-BDD 2.0 electrode effectively generated the most formic acid product with a maximum reduction potential as low as −1.3 V (vs. Ag/AgCl)