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SummaryObjectives. This study aims to evaluate the antibacterial and chemical properties of some medicinal plants used in the fight against enteropathogens in Benin.Methods. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Senna siamea, Uvaria chamae, Lantana camara and Phyllantus amarus were tested on 10 bacterial strains. Well diffusion technique, coupled with the microdilution determination of Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (CMB) was used for antibacterial testing. The larval cytotoxicity was evaluated by using Artemia salina crustacean larvae. flavonoids and polyphenols were also assayed by the method using aluminum trichloride (AlCl3) and the method using the folin-Ciocalteu reagent, respectively.Results. The results of the study revealed that extracts had an effective antibacterial activity at 100 mg/mL, with MIC between 100 and 25 mg/mL and CMB between 100 and 50 mg/mL. The inhibition diameters of the extracts varied between 7.5 and 21 mm. The ethanolic extract of Phyllantus amarus leaves showed the best antibacterial activity. None of the extracts tested was found to be cytotoxic at the dose of 20 mg/mL. The aqueous Uvaria chamae root extract has the highest polyphenol content (231.896552±0.27586207 in μg EAG/100 mg extract), whereas the aqueous leaf extract of Uvaria chamae is the richest in flavonoids (41.061082 0.43180737 in μg ER/100 mg of extract).Conclusions. These interesting results can be used in the development of improved traditional medicines against enteropathogens. IntroductionInfections caused by enteropathogens are serious forms of infectious pathology. They are a major public health problem that causes millions of deaths a year. This is the case, for example, of foodborne illnesses, causing 17 million deaths a year worldwide, more than half of which come from the African continent (37). Diarrheal diseases are also the cause of 550 million patients each year, including 220 million children under 5 years of age (37). Salmonella, shigella and klebsielles are amongst others epidemiologically active enterobacteria involved in serious infectious diseases.Health management of enteropathogenic diseases is achieved through the use of antibiotics, but their inadequate and often anarchic use has resulted in bacterial resistance (24,36). Indeed, recent data from the bibliography abound with descriptions of bacteria that are multiresistant or even toto-resistant to antibiotics. The number of these bacteria is increasing in both industrialized and developing countries (32). This development of microbial resistance to antibiotics has led researchers to carry out alternative investigations to identify other effective natural remedies against various pathologies in the plant kingdom (18). It has therefore proved essential to look for new antibacterial substances that are effective and have a broad spectrum of action. One of the effective strategies for this research is to explore plants used in traditional Correspondence: Victorien T. Dougnon, Lecturer-Researcher in Microb...

Healthcare-associated infections represent an emerging public health issue with serious impact among hospitalized patients, including cesarized women and children with catheter. The present study determined the implications of hygiene practices and the hospital environment in wound reinfection among cesarized women and the occurrence of catheter-induced infections in children. Bacteriological analyses were performed on 100 wound swabs from cesarized women, 40 swabs from the wound dressing room, and 83 catheter tips used in children. Isolated bacteria were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility. A comparison of the resistance profile between strains isolated from wounds and those isolated from the dressing room was conducted, whereas the hygiene practices observed from the personnel during catheter removal were recorded in the case of children. The results show that 85% of wound swabs, 63% of swabs from the dressing room, and 33.7% of catheter tips were positive for bacteriological analysis. The most isolated strains in wound and environmental swabs were Staphylococcus aureus (56%) and coagulasenegative Staphylococcus (44%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (30%) and Enterobacter cloacae (32%) for wounds and Escherichia coli (43%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (28%) for the environment. The catheter tips contained mostly Klebsiella pneumoniae (32%), coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (25%), and Enterobacter cloacae (14%). All strains showed resistance to penicillin and cephalosporin. The comparison of the resistance profiles suggests an implication of the environmental strains in the reinfection of wounds in cesarized women. However, a significant correlation was recorded between poor hygiene practices and the contamination of the catheter tips. These findings allowed the authorities of this hospital to reinforce the knowledge and improve the hygiene management, in order to still hold the good label of the structure.

An enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) with 11 Clostridium difflcile serogroup-specific antisera was applied for serogrouping of C. difficile colonies from 314 consecutive positive fecal samples. Two hundred forty-nine strains (79%) were correctly serogrouped, 57 (18%) belonged to serogroups other than the 11 which were evaluated and gave a negative reaction with all antisera, and 8 isolates (2.5%) did not react with their corresponding antisera. ELISA is a rapid and reliable method for serogrouping C. difficik and should allow for the automation of this procedure.

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