Post-Harvest Management Practices Of Bambara Groundnut (Vigna Subterranea (L.) Verdc) Seeds In Burkina Faso

Bambara groundnut plays a major role in the production systems and diets of farmers in Burkina Faso. This crop, due to certain production, storage, or preservation conditions, is subject to damage by insects and fungi. Effective post-harvest management can contribute significantly to reducing losses during storage. This study was carried out in the three agro-ecological areas in Burkina Faso to assess post-harvest management practices of Bambara groundnut among farmers. The data were collected from 180 farmers using surveys. The results showed that the culture of Bambara groundnut was mainly carried out by women (74.4%) on small farms (0.25-0.5ha). The harvested crops were dried at home during a period of 5 to 14 days. About 53% of farmers stored seeds for more than 3 months. Seeds were mainly stored in hermetically sealed cans (45.6%) and in plastic bags (31.1%). Some products such as wood ash and chemicals were used for seed storage. Challenges during seed storage were insects (91.4%) and fungi (42.9%). In the case of seeds attacked by pests (insects, fungi, etc.), farmers (84.4%) adopt a set of measures consisting of sorting, winnowing, drying, and repackaging the seeds. Besides the existence of traditional storage techniques, there is still a need to develop effective storage techniques and continue building farmers’ awareness on improved storage technologies to avoid post-harvest losses

Constructed wetland technology for the treatment and reuse of urban household greywater under conditions of Africa's Sahel region

Three pilot systems of a constructed wetland were assessed to advance the urban reuse of greywater for household gardening in areas of the world representative of Africa's Sahel (one unplanted and two planted with local species, namely Andropogon gayanus and Chrysopogon zizanioides). Principal component analysis showed planted systems provided higher removal efficiencies than the unplanted system and A. gayanus performed better for treating most water quality parameters. As expected, removal efficiencies for suspended solids (SS) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were greater than 90% in all filters. The removal of five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) was, however, significantly greater in the filter planted with A. gayanus than in the unplanted control. For plant-beneficial parameters such as nutrients (NO3−, NO2−, NH4+, and PO43−), the removal in the planted filters was significantly higher than in the unplanted filter (>90% versus 73%–78%). The reduction of fecal coliforms was significantly greater in the two planted systems and exceeded 2.5 log10 removal. Analysis of the microbial water quality characteristics showed the concentration of fecal microbial indicators would achieve WHO guidelines for restricted irrigation with retention of some embedded nutrients, thus reducing pressures on areas experiencing climate variability, water scarcity, and land degradation. HIGHLIGHTS Planted filters produced treated greywater compliant with the WHO reuse guidelines for restricted irrigation.; Reduction of fecal coliforms was highest in the two planted systems, exceeding 2.5 log10 removal.; Filter planted with A. gayanus exhibited higher removal efficiencies of organic matter than the filter planted with C. zizanioides.; A. gayanus performed better than C. zizanioides for most water quality effluent parameters.

Etude de la résistance aux antibiotiques des souches cliniques de Pseudomonas aeruginosa, isolées au laboratoire national de santé publique de Ouagadougou

Introduction: l’utilisation massive et répétée des antibiotiques en santé humaine, animale et dans l’environnement a généré au fil du temps une augmentation des résistances bactériennes. Ainsi, la prise d’antibiotique, répétée ou ponctuelle, peut conduire à l’émergence de bactéries résistantes comme Pseudomonas aeruginosa rendant les traitements antibiotiques ultérieurs moins efficaces. Objectif: étudier le profil de résistance des souches de P. aeruginosa aux antibiotiques, isolées au Laboratoire National de Santé Publique (LNSP) de Ouagadougou. Méthodologie: il s’agissait d’une étude rétrospective et prospective allant du 1er juin 2017 au 31 décembre 2018 au sein du LNSP. Au cours de notre étude, des souches de P. aeruginosa ont été isolées des pus et des urines en utilisant les techniques conventionnelles de bactériologie. Pour l’étude de la résistance, 15 antibiotiques ont été testés en utilisant les critères du Comité d’Antibiogramme de la Société Française de Microbiologie version 2015. Résultats: au total, 17 souches de P. aeruginosa ont été isolées entre juin 2017 et décembre 2018. Ces souches ont montré des taux de résistance variable aux bêta-lactamines : Ticarcilline (76,5%), ceftriaxone (58,8%), ceftazidime (23,5%). Les aminosides et la colistine ont été les antibiotiques les plus actifs sur l’ensemble des 17 souches étudiées. Conclusion: au cours de notre travail, les souches de P. aeruginosa étaient principalement résistantes aux carboxypenicillines, à la fosfomycine, au cotrimoxazole et à la rifampicine. Ces résistances pourraient être dues à l’utilisation abusive des antibiotiques ou à certains facteurs de risques d’acquisition des résistances. Mots-clés: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, résistance aux antibiotiques, Burkina Faso English Title: Antibiotic resistance study of clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, isolated at “Laboratoire National de Santé Publique” of Ouagadougou English Abstract Introduction: The massive and repeated use of antibiotics in human, animal and environmental health facilities has generated over time an increase in bacterial resistance. Thus, the repeated or punctual antibiotic use can lead to the emergence of resistant bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa making subsequent antibiotic treatments less effective. Objective: To study the resistance profile of P. aeruginosa strains to antibiotics, isolated at Laboratoire National de Santé Publique Methodology: This was a retrospective and prospective study from June 1, 2017 to December 31, 2018. During our study, P. aeruginosa strains were isolated from pus and urine using conventional bacteriological techniques. For the antibiotic’s resistance study, 15 antibiotics were tested using the criteria of the Antibiogram Committee of the French Society of Microbiology version 2015. Results: A total of 17 P. aeruginosa strains were isolated between June 2017 and December 2018 have been tested.  These strains showed variable resistance rates to beta-lactams: Ticarcillin (76.5%), ceftriaxone (58.8%), ceftazidime (23.5%). Aminoglycosides and colistin were the most active antibiotics among all 17 strains studied. Conclusion: During our work, P. aeruginosa strains were mainly resistant to carboxypenicillins, fosfomycin, cotrimoxazole and rifampicin. This resistance could be due to the overuse of antibiotics or to certain risk factors for acquiring resistance. Keyswords: Pseudomonas earuginosa, antibiotics resistance, Burkina Fas