Microbiological and physico-chemical characterisation of well water in the town of Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire

Water is essential to the life of every living organism. The water used by the consumer must be safe for the preservation of his health. The objective of this study was to assess the quality of well water used in households in the city of Korhogo. To do this, water samples were taken from the wells of different households. Parameters such as pH, temperature, electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids were measured at the sampling sites. Nitrates and ammonium were determined by spectrophotometric methods using sodium salicylate and indophenol blue, respectively. The membrane filtration technique has been used for the enumeration of total coliforms, Escherichia coli, fecal enterococci, sulfite-reducing anaerobic bacteria, yeasts and moulds. The agar incorporation method was used for the enumeration of mesophilic aerobic germs. The non-conformity relative to pH was 73%. All wells were contaminated with nitrates and ammonium. Non-compliance rates of 80% and 53% were obtained for nitrates and ammonium respectively. Non-compliance with mesophilic aerobic germs, total coliforms, E. coli and fecal enterococci was 100% for each indicator. No spore of sulphite-reducing clostridia has been identified. Contamination rates of 80% (mould) and 67% (yeast) were recorded. The moulds isolated from the various water samples belong to the genus Aspergillus. The quality of well water in households is not suitable for human consumption. These waters require treatment or household residents must switch to other safe sources of drinking water

Prevalence of Virulence Genes Associated with Diarrheagenic Pathotypes of Escherichia coli

This study was conducted to characterize virulence genes of Escherichia coli isolates from water, sediment, fish, and crab in Aby Lagoon. Serogrouping was performed by EPEC antisera in 113 E. coli strains. The presence of diarrhea-associated genes (eae, stx, AggR, elt, and est) was assessed by multiplex PCR using specific primers. Based on the multiplex PCR, sixty-two isolates (42 from water, 19 from sediment, and 1 from crab) were positive for virulence genes, including 34 positive for elt (ETEC), 46 positive for est (ETEC), 24 positive for both elt and est, 6 positive for stx (EHEC), 1 positive for both stx + est, and 1 positive for both stx + elt. Genes eae (EPEC) and AggR (EAEC) were not detected. Nine serogroups (O114, O127, O55, O111, O86, O119, O126, O128, and O142) were identified. This study revealed the presence of diarrheagenic and nondiarrheagenic E. coli and potential public health risks if fishery products are not appropriately cooked

Impact of environmental factors on Biomphalaria pfeifferi vector capacity leading to human infection by Schistosoma mansoni in two regions of western Côte d'Ivoire.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Intestinal schistosomiasis remains a worrying health problem, particularly in western Côte d'Ivoire, despite control efforts. It is therefore necessary to understand all the factors involved in the development of the disease, including biotic and abiotic factors. The aim of this study was to examine the factors that could support the maintenance of the intermediate host and its vectorial capacity in western Côte d'Ivoire.MethodsData on river physicochemical, microbiological, and climatic parameters, the presence or absence of snails with Schistosoma mansoni, and human infections were collected between January 2020 and February 2021. Spearman rank correlation tests, Mann-Whitney, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and an appropriate model selection procedure were used to analyze the data.ResultsThe overall prevalence of infected snails was 56.05%, with infection reaching 100% in some collection sites and localities. Of 26 sites examined, 25 contained thermophilic coliforms and 22 contained Escherichia coli. Biomphalaria pfeifferi was observed in environments with lower land surface temperature (LST) and higher relative air humidity (RAH), and B. pfeifferi infection predominated in more acidic environments. Thermal coliforms and E. coli preferred higher pH levels. Lower maximum LST (LST_Max) and higher RAH and minimum LST (LST_Min) were favorable to E. coli, and lower LST_Max favored coliforms. The presence of B. pfeifferi was positively influenced by water temperature (T °C), LST_Min, RAH, and precipitation (Pp) (P 2 = 0.879, P = 0.04959).ConclusionsThe results obtained reflect the environmental conditions that are conducive to the maintenance of S. mansoni infection in this part of the country. To combat this infection as effectively as possible, it will be necessary not only to redouble efforts but also to prioritize control according to the level of endemicity at the village level

African Journal of Environmental Science and

Molecular characterization of intestinal protozoan parasites from children facing diarrheal disease and associated risk factors in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoir

Microbiological and Physicochemical Variations during Spontaneous Fermentation of Plantain Must

Major losses are recorded every year in the plantain production sector in Côte d’Ivoire. These losses are mainly due to poor harvesting, transport, and storage conditions. Local processing of this food crop into other products could help limit postharvest losses. The aim of this study was to evaluate some microbiological and physicochemical parameters during the fermentation of plantain must for the production of an alcoholic beverage. Physicochemical parameters such as pH, titratable acidity, and reducing sugars were measured using a pH meter by titration and the Bernfeld method, respectively. Refractometric dry extract and alcohol content were measured using a refractometer. Loads of mesophilic aerobic germs, total coliforms, streptococci, and yeasts were determined by standard microbiological methods. Values for refractometric dry extract (10°B-4.5°B), reducing sugars (8.25-0 mg/mL), and pH (4.37-3.36) decrease during fermentation. The highest alcohol content (11%) is obtained after four days of fermentation of plantain must. In contrast to total coliforms (5.27-3.61 log10 cfu/mL), loads of mesophilic aerobic germs (4.84-9.8 log10 cfu/mL) increase during fermentation. Yeast and streptococci loads reach their peaks at 7.81 log10 cfu/mL and 8.15 log10 cfu/mL, respectively, after six (6) days of fermentation before dropping off. Plantain must could be used to produce distilled alcoholic beverages

Microbiological Quality of Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) Sold in the Markets of Korhogo (Côte d’Ivoire)

Aims: The present work is part of a sanitary quality control of market garden products in Korhogo. The objective of this study was to know the microbiological quality of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) sold on the markets of the city of Korhogo. Place and Duration of Study: The analyses were carried out at the microbiology laboratory of Peleforo Gon Coulibaly University during the months of October, November and December 2020. Methodology: Germs such as molds, yeasts, mesophilic aerobic germs, total coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Clostridium were tested and enumerated on 40 tomato samples from the markets of Haoussabougou, Koko, Sinistré and the big market according to conventional microbiology methods. Results: The average loads of molds and yeasts range from 1.2x104 to 6x105 CFU/g. The average loads of mesophilic aerobic germs vary from 2.3x104 to 2.3x105 CFU/g. The highest loads recorded for Staphylococcus aureus and total coliforms were 3.1x104 CFU/g and 1.5x104 CFU/g respectively. Escherichia coli (4x101 CFU/g) was isolated only from tomatoes collected in Haoussabougou. As for the Clostridium genus, it was not detected on all the tomatoes analyzed. Conclusion: In general, the microbial loads of the analyzed samples are higher than the accepted norm. Thus, the tomatoes sold on the markets of the city of Korhogo have an unsatisfactory microbiological quality. It is advisable to clean, disinfect and rinse these tomatoes carefully with drinking water before consuming them raw

Microbiological and Physicochemical Characteristics of Three Types of “Soumbara” from Seeds of African Locust Bean in Korhogo Markets, Côte d’Ivoire

“Soumbara” is a fermented product sold in the markets of several West African countries. In the markets, it is sold in several formats (granulated, powder, and paste). The objective of this study was to evaluate the microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of these three types of “Soumbara” sold in the Korhogo markets. For this purpose, a preliminary survey followed by a sampling of 54 samples of “Soumbara” was carried out. The microorganism load count was carried out according to microbiological standards. The pH, titratable acidity, and moisture content were measured, respectively, with a pH meter, by dosing with sodium hydroxide solution and by differential weighing after passing the sample through the oven. The pH of the different samples is around 6. The moisture content is higher in “Soumbara” paste (20-24.7%) than in powdered (7.3-9.3%) and granulated (8.6-10.7%) “Soumbara.” The acidity rates are between 0.07 and 0.13%, 0.2 and 0.3%, and 0.08 and 0.1%, respectively, for the granulated, powder, and paste types. Mesophilic aerobic germ loads (6.17-8.38 log10 cfu/g) for all three types of “Soumbara” are above the standard. Total coliform (1.13-2.96 log10 cfu/g), mould (0.86-2.52 log10 cfu/g), and yeast (0.33-1.53 log10 cfu/g) loads are below standard. The microbiological quality of the three types of “Soumbara” is unsatisfactory. Overall, “Soumbara” powder is the most contaminated, followed by granulated and paste “Soumbara.” “Soumbara” must be added during culinary preparations in order to avoid possible public health problems