Impact of pre-analytical factors on mycobacterium cultures contaminations rates in Burkina Faso, West Africa

Introduction: for a high quality level diagnosis, mycobacterium culture must comply with the pre-analytical and analytical conditions recommended by the WHO and the country National Tuberculosis Program (NTP). In this study, we determined whether temperature and duration of sputum storage were associated with culture contamination in Burkina Faso. Methods: sputa were collected in 5 districts labs in Burkina Faso. Temperature and duration of sputum storage were recorded. After the collection, sputa were decontaminated using Petroff modified method, and the pellet was inoculated on LJ media and LJ media supply with 2% sodium pyruvate. Risk of culture contamination associated with temperature and duration of sputum storage was measured by Chi2 test and logistic regression. Results: out of 404 specimens, 61% (246/404) were stored between 2 and 8°C, and 15% (61/404) were processed within three days. The global contamination rate was 24%, with only 8% for samples respecting WHO recommendations, up to 35% for others. Storage at room temperature was associated with a significantly higher risk of contamination compared to storage at 2-8°C (OR 2.24, p=0.001, IC 95%). Conclusion: the recommendations about the temperature and the duration of sputum storage before cultures are not completely respected. This leads to high contamination rate of mycobacterium culture. It will be necessary to take logistics measures in peripherals health services or to develop more selective medium for mycobacterium culture in low income countries

Village Baseline Study: Site Analysis Report for Kollo – Fakara, Niger (NI0111)

The village baseline study of Tigo Zéno village in the CCAFS benchmark site Fakara in Niger took place from 23 to 25 of June 2011. Focus group discussions were conducted separately for men and women. Tigo Zéno’s natural resources are degraded, with sparse tree population. Water is scarce and temporary, the farmlands have eroded, and soil is infertile with low productivity. People are particularly concerned about the presence and expansion of gullies (“koris”) that have created uncultivable areas, major declines in soil fertility, destruction of crops during serious overflow of ponds and heavy rainfall, and significant reduction in the size of farmlands, especially those belonging to women, who have smaller farmlands than men

Consumption Profile during Agricultural Mitigation Period: Burkina Faso Centre-West Region case

International audienceBackground: Simplified and reliable tools for individual and household diet quality assessment have been found helpful to reduce cost of the dietary survey. The main objective of this study was to determine the household’s diet profile in the Centre-West Region of Burkina Faso.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on household food consumption using the last seven days recall. Food consumption score (FCS) was calculated by adding sores of the consumed food groups for each household.Results: Overall, 985 households were involved from 37 rural and three urban places from the Centre-West Region of Burkina Faso. With regard to the FCS, 28%, 28%, and 44% of the households had a poor (FCS ≤ 21), borderline (21 35) scores, respectively. Increased FCS improved the food consumption frequency rich in nutrient (vitamin A, iron, protein) groups. The quality of household’s diet was determined by socioeconomic variables such as household assets and number of income sources. Urban households get their food from the market places, while rural ones consumed their own productions.Conclusion: Diet quality based on food groups' consumption was associated with the socioeconomic status of households with regard to a certain food vulnerability. More efforts are required to strengthen the food security in vulnerable households regarding healthy diets for the population

Digestive fungal flora in asymptomatic subjects in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso

Objective: To identify Candida species in asymptomatic subjects in Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso) by the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to February 2013 in Bobo-Dioulasso to collect fecal and urine specimens from voluntary donors. Fungal strains were isolated on Sabouraud dextrose agar and analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Results: A total of 135 samples including stools (78.5%, 106/135) and urine (21.5%, 29/135) were analyzed. The results revealed that fecal specimens contained mainly Candida krusei (C. krusei) (42.5%) followed by Candida albicans (29.3%), Candida glabrata (18.0%) and Candida tropicalis (C. tropicalis) (4.7%). C. krusei (34.6%) was also found to be the most frequently identified in urine samples followed by Candida albicans (27.0%), C. tropicalis (15.4%) and Candida parapsilosis. However, uncommon species such as Candida nivariensis, Candida kefyr, Candida norvegensis, Candida parapsilosis, Candida lusitaniae and Candida robusta were also identified from fecal and urines samples. Conclusions: This study noted the emergence of species such as C. krusei, Candida glabrata, Candida parapsiolosis, C. tropicalis, Candida nivariensis, Candida norvegensis, and others. It is an imperative to take into account the existence of these species in the therapeutic management of patients in Bobo-Dioulasso

Assessing the Quality of Burkina Faso Soybeans Based on Fatty Acid Composition and Pesticide Residue Contamination

Soybean is widely used in the food industry because of its high fatty acid and protein content. However, the increased use of pesticides to control pests during cultivation, in addition to being a public health concern, may influence the nutritional quality of soybeans. This study aimed to assess the nutritional quality of soybeans with respect to fatty acid profile and pesticide residue contamination. The levels of fatty acids and pesticides in soybean varieties G196 and G197 were determined by gas chromatography and by the QuEChERS method, respectively. The results showed a significant variation in the quantitative and qualitative fatty acid composition of the two varieties, with 18.03 g/100 g and 4 fatty acids detected for the G196 variety and 21.35 g/100 g and 7 fatty acids for the G197 variety, respectively. In addition, 12 active pesticide compounds were found, and among them, imazalil, quintozene, cyfluthrin and lindane exceeded their maximum limits. The G197 variety had a better nutritional profile compared to G196. The profile of fatty acids and the content of pesticide residues were used as important determinants for soybean utilization in human nutrition

Baseline Meningococcal Carriage in Burkina Faso before the Introduction of a Meningococcal Serogroup A Conjugate Vaccine▿

The serogroup A meningococcal conjugate vaccine MenAfriVac has the potential to confer herd immunity by reducing carriage prevalence of epidemic strains. To better understand this phenomenon, we initiated a meningococcal carriage study to determine the baseline carriage rate and serogroup distribution before vaccine introduction in the 1- to 29-year old population in Burkina Faso, the group chosen for the first introduction of the vaccine. A multiple cross-sectional carriage study was conducted in one urban and two rural districts in Burkina Faso in 2009. Every 3 months, oropharyngeal samples were collected from >5,000 randomly selected individuals within a 4-week period. Isolation and identification of the meningococci from 20,326 samples were performed by national laboratories in Burkina Faso. Confirmation and further strain characterization, including genogrouping, multilocus sequence typing, and porA-fetA sequencing, were performed in Norway. The overall carriage prevalence for meningococci was 3.98%; the highest prevalence was among the 15- to 19-year-olds for males and among the 10- to 14-year-olds for females. Serogroup Y dominated (2.28%), followed by serogroups X (0.44%), A (0.39%), and W135 (0.34%). Carriage prevalence was the highest in the rural districts and in the dry season, but serogroup distribution also varied by district. A total of 29 sequence types (STs) and 51 porA-fetA combinations were identified. The dominant clone was serogroup Y, ST-4375, P1.5-1,2-2/F5-8, belonging to the ST-23 complex (47%). All serogroup A isolates were ST-2859 of the ST-5 complex with P1.20,9/F3-1. This study forms a solid basis for evaluating the impact of MenAfriVac introduction on serogroup A carriage

Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup W, Burkina Faso, 2012

In 2010, Burkina Faso became the first country to introduce meningococcal serogroup A conjugate vaccine (PsA-TT). During 2012, Burkina Faso reported increases in Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W, raising questions about whether these cases were a natural increase in disease or resulted from serogroup replacement after PsA-TT introduction. We analyzed national surveillance data to describe the epidemiology of serogroup W and genotyped 61 serogroup W isolates. In 2012, a total of 5,807 meningitis cases were reported through enhanced surveillance, of which 2,353 (41%) were laboratory confirmed. The predominant organism identified was N. meningitidis serogroup W (62%), and all serogroup W isolates characterized belonged to clonal complex 11. Although additional years of data are needed before we can understand the epidemiology of serogroup W after PsA–TT introduction, these data suggest that serogroup W will remain a major cause of sporadic disease and has epidemic potential, underscoring the need to maintain high-quality case-based meningitis surveillance after PsA–TT introduction. Download MP3  Length: 1:4