Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Cymbopogon citratus and Cymbopogon giganteus essential oils alone and in combination.

As part of ongoing research on the chemical composition and the antimicrobial properties of Burkinabe plants essential oils alone and in combination, essential oils (EOs) from leaves of Cymbopogon citratus and Cymbopogon giganteus from Burkina Faso were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Five constituents, which accounted for 96.3% of the oil, were identified in the EO of C. citratus. Geranial (48.1%), neral (34.6%) and myrcene (11.0%) were the major constituents. For C. giganteus a total of eight compounds were identified which represented 86.0% of the oils extracted. The dominant compounds were limonene (42%) and a set of monoterpene alcohols: trans-p-mentha-1(7),8-dien-2-ol (14.2%), cis-p-mentha-1(7),8-dien-2-ol (12%), trans-p-mentha-2,8-dien-1-ol (5.6%) and cis-p-mentha-2,8-dien-1-ol (5.2%). The EOs were tested against nine bacteria by using disc diffusion and microdilution methods. C. giganteus EO showed antimicrobial effects against all microorganisms tested whereas C. citratus EO failed to inhibit Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The antimicrobial activity of combinations of the two EOs was quantified by the checkerboard method. Combinations of the two EOs exerted synergistic, additive and indifferent antimicrobial effects. Results of the present investigation provide evidence that the combinations of plant EOs could be assessed for synergistic activity in order to reduce their minimum effective dose.

[Hygienic quality of meat used in institutional food services: university cafeterias in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)]. / Qualité hygiénique de la viande utilisée en restauration collective dans trois restaurants universitaires de Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso).

This present study was conducted to assess the hygienic quality of meals served in three cafeterias at the national university in Ouagadougou and the compliance of kitchen staff with good hygiene practices. Microbiological analyses assessed the hygienic quality of the raw meat and of meat-based meals. The results showed poor hygiene practices by food handlers along the food chain. These observations were confirmed by the identification of salmonella, coliform and staphylococcal bacteria in raw meat and cooked meals. Overall, 60% of the raw meat samples were unsatisfactory for aerobic mesophilic flora and 6.6% for salmonella. For the cooked meat meals, on the other hand, 45% of the samples were satisfactory for aerobic mesophilic flora, 100% for salmonella, 93.3% for fecal thermotolerant coliforms and 96.6% for staphylococci. These results showed poor hygiene in the handling of raw meat, but a clear improvement in hygienic quality after cooking. Raising the awareness of cafeteria staff about compliance with hygiene rules appears primordial. Moreover improvement of the food environment, the kitchen equipment, and organization as well as the introduction of a cleaning-disinfection programme would make it possible to provide more hygienic meals in these institutional facilities.

[Priapism in sickle cell anaemia in Senegal: prevalence, attitudes and knowledge]. / Priapisme chez le drépanocytaire sénégalais: prévalence, attitudes et connaissances.

We interviewed 108 sickle cell anaemia patients aged 5 years older on priapism, and 113 healthy subjects in a control group. They were recruited in the out-patient consultation of the two sickle cell anemia care units of the Fann teaching hospital in Dakar. Ten cases of priapism were identified, all in the group of sickle cell patients (the difference is significant, p = 0.004). Prevalence of priapism was 9.3%. Actuarial probability of having priapism was 8.3% by 10 years of age, and 38.9% +/- 5.7 by 20 years of age. Before the interview, only 10.2% of the sickle cell patients and 8% in the control group knew about priapism, and most of them were unaware of its association with sickle cell disease (75% of sickle cell anaemia patients and 80% of control subjects). This lack of information should be improved by an educational program.

Diagnostic quality in rural health centres in Burkina Faso.

OBJECTIVE: To study the quality of diagnostic practice in rural Burkina Faso. METHOD: In 9 health centres of 3 districts, 313 outpatient consultations were observed, and 417 diagnoses by 15 nurses were analysed. Criteria for evaluation of patient history and clinical examination were based on the diagnostic guidelines distributed by the Ministry of Health. RESULTS: In only 20% of the diagnoses the nurses took a sufficient history and in only 40% they conducted a sufficient clinical examination. In 21% patients underwent no clinical examination at all. Only 12% of all diagnoses were based on sufficient history-taking and adequate clinical examinations. The individual elements of clinical examination were performed correctly in 82% of cases. The variation between nurses was immense, but no correlation could be found with regard to their basic training. However, nurses who had received the diagnostic guidelines examined patients more carefully than those who had not. Larger numbers of patients per day are not associated with shorter nurse-patient contact, and neither is sufficiency of patient history associated with duration of the consultation. CONCLUSION: The low diagnostic quality of the outpatient consultations in the studied area indicates that this issue has been neglected in national public health initiatives. But examination skills are good and diagnostic guidelines may have had a positive effect on the diagnostic quality.