First report of Salmonella meningitis in children during 2011-2015 meningitis surveillance in Niger

Meningitis due to salmonella is a rare infection poorly or not reported from NIGER. The infection is a complication of Salmonella infection that occurs in infants. Salmonella is the fourth cause of meningitis in Niger children, after Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae b. This retrospective study aimed to describe cases of salmonella meningitis in Niger infants. From January 2011 to December 2015, 6630 CSF collected nationwide were sent through an effective samples transport circuit already in place to allow the rapid delivery of thé CSF in CERMES, the National Reference laboratory-based meningitis surveillance for analysis. All turbid CSF from under 5 years patients were respectively cultured on Hektoen medium, Trypticase soy agar plate containing 5% sheep blood; and on chocolate agar plate. Gram negative bacilli were identified using API20 system. A total of 11/6630 (0.2%) Salmonella strains were isolated during the study. Most of the patients (72.7%) were less than 2 years old. The average age of children was 2.63 years with an extreme of 1 month to 14 years and the sex ratio M/F was 0.83. Of the eleven salmonella species detected, we found 7(63.6%) Salmonella typhi, 2 (16.7%) Salmonella spp, 1(8. 3%) Salmonella paratyphi A and 1 (8.3%) Salmonella paratyphi B. This study showed that Salmonella meningitis is a rare public health problem in Niger, despite the limitation on clinical symptoms data from patient case forms. Though, there was a risk which deserves to take salmonella in account in case of child meningitis. Published by the International journal of Microbiology and Mycology (IJMM

Evaluation of the antimicrobial susceptibility testing process in clinical microbiology laboratories at Niamey, Niger

Background: Risk assessment is the means of identifying and evaluating potential errors or problems that may occur in testing process. The aim of this study was to perform risk assessment of antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) process in clinical microbiology laboratories of Niamey, Niger Republic.Methodology: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study from October 1 to December 31, 2019, to evaluate AST performance in seven clinical microbiology laboratories at Niamey, the capital city of Niger republic. The evaluation focused on the determination of the criticality index (CI) of each critical point (frequency of occurrence of anomalies, severity of the process anomaly, and detectability of the anomaly during the process) in the AST process and the performance of the AST through an observation sheet using two reference strains; Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213.Results: The criticality index (CI) was greater than 6 for most of the critical points related to material, medium, equipment, method and labour for the AST process in all the laboratories. A range of 18-100% errors on the inhibition zone diameters of the reference strains were observed. Major and/or minor categorization (Sensitive S, Intermediate I and Resistance R) discrepancies were found at all the laboratories for either one or both reference strains. The antibiotics most affected by the S/I/R discrepancies were trimethoprim (100%), vancomycin (100%), amoxicillin (80%) and amoxicillin + clavulanic acid (70%).Conclusion: This study showed a deficiency in the control of critical control points that impacts the performance of the AST reported by the laboratories in Niger. Corrective actions are needed to improve the performance of AST in clinical microbiology laboratories in Niger.   French title: Evaluation du processus de réalisation de l’antibiogramme dans les laboratoires d’analyses de biologie médicale de la ville de Niamey, Niger Contexte: L'évaluation des risques est le moyen d'identifier et d'évaluer les erreurs ou les problèmes potentiels qui peuvent survenir dans le processus de test. L'objectif de cette étude était de réaliser une évaluation des risques du processus d'antibiogramme (ABG) dans les laboratoires de microbiologie clinique de Niamey, en République du Niger.Méthodologie: Nous avons mené une étude transversale descriptive du 1er octobre au 31 décembre 2019 pour évaluer la performance des ABG dans sept laboratoires de microbiologie clinique à Niamey, capitale de la république du Niger. L'évaluation a porté sur la détermination de l'indice de criticité (IC) de chaque point critique (fréquence d'apparition des anomalies, gravité de l'anomalie du processus et détectabilité de l'anomalie au cours du processus) dans le processus et la performance des AGB à travers une fiche d'observation en utilisant deux souches de référence; Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 et Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213.Résultats: L'indice de criticité était supérieur à 6 pour la plupart des points critiques liés au matériel, au milieu, à l'équipement, à la méthode et à la main-d'oeuvre pour le processus AST dans tous les laboratoires. Une fourchette d'erreurs de 18 à 100% sur les diamètres des zones d'inhibition des souches de référence a été observée. Des écarts de catégorisation majeurs et/ou mineurs (Sensible: S, Intermédiaire: I et Résistance: R) ont été constatés dans tous les laboratoires pour l'une ou les deux souches de référence. Les  antibiotiques les plus touchés par les écarts S/I/R étaient la triméthoprime (100%), la vancomycine (100%), l'amoxicilline (80%) et l'amoxicilline + acide clavulanique (70%).Conclusion: Cette étude a montré une déficience dans le contrôle des points de contrôle critiques qui a un impact sur la performance de l'antibiogramme rapportée par les laboratoires au Niger. Des actions correctives sont nécessaires pour améliorer la performance des ABG dans les laboratoires de microbiologie clinique au Niger

Economic feasibility of an augmentative biological control industry in Niger

Farmers in Niger are vulnerable to high millet yield losses due to the millet head miner, Heliocheilus albipunctella De Joannis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), for which pest control options are limited. Researchers have developed a procedure to multiply and spread an augmentative biological control agent Habrobracon hebetor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) which is effective in limiting millet yield losses due to the pest. This study assesses the economic viability of small businesses to produce and sell biological control agents. It analyzes the profitability of the businesses under alternative pricing regimes given estimated costs to produce and distribute biological control agents. The economic assessment provides budget analysis for potential businesses and discusses options for scaling, price setting, and organizing. Our study suggests that the small H. hebetor industry should turn a profit in Niger at relatively low prices for the biological control agents of $3.00-$4.00 per bag with 15 bags needed per village. Competitive wages are achievable for the businesses that sell to at least 13 villages. Each business would hire three workers from late May to late August. Commercialization of H. hebetor would generate opportunities for wide geographic distribution of the technology on a sustainable basis in Niger

Agroforesterie et services écosystémiques en zone tropicale

Respectueux de l’environnement et garantissant une sécurité alimentaire soutenue par la diversification des productions et des revenus qu’ils procurent, les systèmes agroforestiers apparaissent comme un modèle prometteur d’agriculture durable dans les pays du Sud les plus vulnérables aux changements globaux. Cependant, ces systèmes agroforestiers ne peuvent être optimisés qu’à condition de mieux comprendre et de mieux maîtriser les facteurs de leurs productions. L’ouvrage présente un ensemble de connaissances récentes sur les mécanismes biophysiques et socio-économiques qui sous-tendent le fonctionnement et la dynamique des systèmes agroforestiers. Il concerne, d’une part les systèmes agroforestiers à base de cultures pérennes, telles que cacaoyers et caféiers, de régions tropicales humides en Amérique du Sud, en Afrique de l’Est et du Centre, d’autre part les parcs arborés et arbustifs à base de cultures vivrières, principalement de céréales, de la région semi-aride subsaharienne d’Afrique de l’Ouest. Il synthétise les dernières avancées acquises grâce à plusieurs projets associant le Cirad, l’IRD et leurs partenaires du Sud qui ont été conduits entre 2012 et 2016 dans ces régions. L’ensemble de ces projets s’articulent autour des dynamiques des systèmes agroforestiers et des compromis entre les services de production et les autres services socio-écosystémiques que ces systèmes fournissent

Livestock feed markets across seasons in periurban areas of Niger: seller and buyer profiles, feed price and quality

Livestock productivity in West African Sahel is constrained by seasonal scarcity of feed and by its low quality in the dry season. Feed resources scarcity in the region has also been aggravated by the increase in livestock population, which has heightened the demand for feed, particularly in periurban areas. Livestock feed markets have thus sprung up in many cities and towns. To understand the dynamics of these markets, surveys were conducted in five of them in Maradi and five others in Niamey, Niger, in the early dry season (October-November 2019), late dry season (March-June 2020), and wet season (August-September 2020) with a semi-structured questionnaire. Results showed that diverse feed types were sold or bought, and mainly by adult male vendors or buyers, in both markets across seasons. The buyers gave as major reasons for purchasing livestock feed the insufficient household feed biomass, the poor-quality household feed, and the need for supplementary feeds to maintain and improve animal performance. Prices of livestock feeds at both markets varied significantly with season, market location and feed type. In both sites, prices of legume residues (cowpea hay, cowpea husk, groundnut haulm) were higher than the other feed types. Results further showed that there was no clear relationship between price and nutritional quality across seasons

Hematome extradural spinal post traumatique: a propos d’un cas

L’hématome épidural spinal (HEDS) d’origine traumatique est une pathologie rare. Le scanner peut aider au diagnostic en l’absence d’IRM.Nous rapportons un cas d’HEDS de résolution spontanée. Et nous discutons les conditions difficiles de gestion des urgences au CHU Sylvanus OLYMPIO. Devant une telle urgence nécessitant un traitement chirurgical sans délai, l’absence de ce traitement est liée à l’insuffisance du système de couverture sociale. En attendant plus de 2 semaines sans que le patient puisse acheter les dispositifs médicaux pour la chirurgie, nous avons alors observé de façon aléatoire une récupération neurologique progressive s’installer. Une rééducation fonctionnelle a été prescrite. A J22 la récupération neurologique était complète.Mots clés: Hématome extradural, rachis cervical, traumatiqueEnglish Title: Posttraumatic epidural haematoma: a case reportEnglish AbstractPosttraumatic spinal epidural haematoma is a rare pathology. The diagnosis is easy on spinal CTScann if the MRI is not available. We report a case of spinal epidural hematoma with spontaneous resolution. We discuss the difficulties of managing emergency at CHU Sylvanus OLYMPIO. In front of this emergency case needing surgery immediately, the lack of surgery decompression was the consequence of our inadequate system of insurance.Waiting more than 2 weeks the patients and his family to buy the medical disposal for surgery, he start moving his legs. Physiotherapy was done. After 22 days he completely improved neurological status.Keywords: Traumatic, cervical spine, epidural haematom

Expanding networks of field hedges in densely populated landscapes in the Sahel

Changing woody plant density across agricultural landscapes of the Sudano-Sahelian region is a debated issue. This paper reports the results of an investigation on the contribution of field hedges to overall woody plant density. Hedges separating individual cropped parcels were studied within village agropastoral territories in the Dantiandou district in western Niger. In 1992, field hedges were mapped over the study area using aerial photography and in 2016, using high resolution Google Earth imagery. In 1992, field hedge length was equal to 1006 km within 435 km(2) of croplands, equivalent to 2.3 km km(-2). In 2016, 17.5% of these hedges had disappeared, but 1591 km of new hedges were observed resulting in an increased density of hedges to 5.6 km km(-2). In 24 years, hedges had increased at a mean annual rate of 3.7% likely associated with the splitting of crop fields by inheritance. The composition and productivity of hedges were also monitored in 1996, 2010 and 2015. All trees (maximum height >= 4 m), shrubs (< 4 m) and tussock perennial grasses were recorded within twelve field hedge samples of 200 m each. Field measurements were used to estimate basal area, crown area, foliage mass and wood mass of each woody plant within the sampled hedges. No significant trends were found between 1996 and 2015 in woody plant density, basal area, crown cover, wood and foliage masses across all monitored hedges. However, overall means hide a slight decrease in tree contributions, while shrub contributions first increased and then decreased. They also mask contradictory trends among sites most likely related to different rates of shrub coppicing and tree cutting. The woody species composition of the hedges is poor with an increase of Combretum giutinosum to the detriment of Guiera senegalensis over the study period. Multiplying the hedge sample statistics by the changing lengths of field hedges in the study area provides estimates of the contribution of the hedge woody plants to the woody plant population at a landscape scale. Between 1992 and 2016, field hedges contributed to increases of woody plant density by 3.9%, basal areas by 5.4%, crown cover by 2.7%, leading to 6.1% annual increase in foliage mass and 8.8% increase in wood mass