Aim of this research is to provide a general situation of cattle slaughtered in Cameroon, as a representative example for the Central African Sub-region. The quality and safety of beef from the abattoir of Yaoundé, the largest in Cameroon, were considered. From January 2009 to March 2012, the pre-slaughter conditions and characteristics of 1953 cattle carcasses were recorded, as well as the pH of m. longissimus thoracis 24 h after slaughter. From these carcasses, 60 were selected to represent the bulls slaughtered. The quality parameters and composition of m. longissimus thoracis were carried out. The origin of most of the cattle was the Guinea High Savannah (74.6%), and transhumance was the common production system (75.5%). Gudali (45.6%), White Fulani (33.3%) and Red Mbororo (20.3%) breeds were predominant. Carcass weight was affected by rearing system and cattle category, and it markedly varied during year. Considering meat quality, the fat content was low (1.2%) and similar between breeds, moreover Gudali showed the toughest meat. Of the cows slaughtered, 27% were pregnant and the most common abnormal conditions encountered were ectoparasites, fatigue, lameness, fungal-like skin lesions, enlarged lymph nodes, respiratory distress, nodular lesions. More than 20% of the carcasses had some organs condemned, mainly for liver flukes (5.17%), and 1.0% of them were completely condemned due to tuberculosis, that also affected 3.28% of lungs. These data could aid authorities draw up programmes with the aim to strengthen cattle production, improve beef supply, control and prevent the observed diseases, and promote the regional trade.

This study analysed the meat fatty acid (FA) composition of three zebu breeds, Gudali (GU), White Fulani (WF) and Red Mbororo (RM), raised on savannah pasture and monitored in the commercial context of the Yaoundé abattoir. Samples of m. longissimus thoracis from 60 bulls belonging to the GU, WF and RM breeds were collected and analysed for fat and FA composition. The fat content of the meat was low, but similar across breeds (1.34 ± 0.912 g/100 g muscle, mean ± SD). Meat from the GU breed had higher C18:3n-3 and C22:5n-3 proportions and lower C18:0 and total saturated FA proportions than WF meat. Red Mbororo meat had an intermediate FA composition compared with the other breeds. The elongase and ∆9 desaturase indices were comparable among breeds. In summary, the results indicate that there are minimal differences in beef FA composition of the three breeds from the Central African sub-region. Additionally, based on the polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) proportion, 13.9% of the total lipids and n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio, 1.95, consumption of beef from these breeds could be beneficial to human health. This is possibly owing to the pasture feeding and low fat content of the beef.

One of the crucial public health problems today is the emerging and re-emerging of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria coupled with a decline in the development of new antimicrobials. Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is classified among the MDR pathogens of international concern. To predict their MDR potentials, 23 assembled genomes of NTS from live cattle (n = 1), beef carcass (n = 19), butchers’ hands (n = 1) and beef processing environments (n = 2) isolated from 830 wet swabs at the Yaounde abattoir between December 2014 and November 2015 were explored using whole-genome sequencing. Phenotypically, while 22% (n = 5) of Salmonella isolates were streptomycin-resistant, 13% (n = 3) were MDR. Genotypically, all the Salmonella isolates possessed high MDR potentials against several classes of antibiotics including critically important drugs (carbapenems, third-generation cephalosporin and fluoroquinolone). Moreover, >31% of NTS exhibited resistance potentials to polymyxin, considered as the last resort drug. Additionally, ≤80% of isolates harbored “silent resistant genes” as a potential reservoir of drug resistance. Our isolates showed a high degree of pathogenicity and possessed key virulence factors to establish infection even in humans. Whole-genome sequencing unveiled both broader antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles and inference of pathogen characteristics. This study calls for the prudent use of antibiotics and constant monitoring of AMR of NTS.