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In this study, the wastewater from the Departmental Hospital Center of Atacora in Benin was characterized and then treated with activated carbon/potassium permanganate (AC/KMnO 4 ) composite in a fixed bed column system. The AC/KMnO 4 composites with impregnation ratios range 0.025-0.100 were prepared from peanut shell activated carbon and potassium permanganate. The wastewater characteristics revealed that 75% of Escherichia coli strains identified were extended-spectrum lactamases (ESBL) with CTX-M dominance, while 25% of Staphylococcus aureus strains produced Panton and Valentine leucocidin and 77.80% of Salmonella typhi strains were resistant to Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole. The fixed bed column system results showed removal efficiency of 72.18 ± 4.98% turbidity, 63.12 ± 4.11% COD, 0.70 ± 0.04 log 10 against E. coli and 3.82 ± 0.01 log 10 against S. typhi strains using activated carbon as adsorbent with 0.7 cm bed depth after 3 h of treatment. The composite adsorbent AC/KMnO 4 significantly increased the effectiveness of treatment due to the strong oxidant power of KMnO 4 in the composite material. The results depicted a removal rate of 83.88 ± 5.00%, 89 ± 1.95%, 90 ± 0.65% turbidity, 66.47 ± 1.62%, 69.82 ± 2.00%, 78.20 ± 2.82% COD, 2.0 ± 0.08 log 10 , 5.0 ± 0.07 log 10 against E. coli and 3.82 ± 0.01 log 10 against S. typhi strains using AC/KMnO 4 with 0.025, 0.050 and 0.100 ratios respectively at 0.7 cm bed depth. Finally, AC/KMnO 4 revealed more adsorption potential and antibacterial property than AC, hence, the composite material could be used as a cost-effective adsorbent for efficient removing of multi-resistant bacteria from hospital wastewater., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Background: Data on nosocomial infections in hospitals in low-income countries are scarce and often inconsistent. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of nosocomial infections and antimicrobial drug use in Benin hospitals., Methods: All hospitals were invited to participate in the first national point prevalence study conducted between 10-26 October 2012 using the protocol developed by the "Hospitals in Europe Link for Infection Control through Surveillance" (HELICS) project. Infection prevalence rates and the proportion of infected patients and exposure to antimicrobials were assessed., Results: Overall, 87% (39/45) of hospitals participated. Of 3130 inpatients surveyed, 972 nosocomial infections were identified among 597 patients, representing an overall prevalence of infected patients of 19.1%. The most frequent infections were related to the urinary tract (48.2%), vascular catheter use (34.7%), and surgical site (24.7%). 64.6% of patients surveyed were treated with antibiotics, including a significant proportion (30%) of non-infected patients and a high proportion of self-medication (40.8%). Resistance of leading nosocomial pathogens to antimicrobials included methicillin-resistance (52.5%) among Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin resistance among enterococci (67.5%), cefotaxime resistance among Escherichia coli (67.6%), and ceftazidime resistance among Acinetobacter baumannii (100%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (68.2%)., Conclusions: Benin has high nosocomial infection rates and calls for the implementation of new national infection control policies. Patient safety education and training of all individuals involved in healthcare delivery will be critical to highlight awareness of the burden of disease. The high use of antimicrobials needs to be addressed, particularly their indiscriminate use in non-infected patients.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic commensal bacterium that mostly colonizes the skin and soft tissues. The pathogenicity of S. aureus is due to both its ability to resist antibiotics, and the production of toxins. Here, we characterize a group of genes responsible for toxin production and antibiotic resistance of S. aureus strains isolated from skin, soft tissue, and bone related infections., Results: A total of 136 S. aureus strains were collected from five different types of infection: furuncles, pyomyositis, abscesses, Buruli ulcers, and osteomyelitis, from hospital admissions and out-patients in Benin. All strains were resistant to benzyl penicillin, while 25% were resistant to methicillin, and all showed sensitivity to vancomycin. Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) was the most commonly produced virulence factor (70%), followed by staphylococcal enterotoxin B (44%). Exfoliative toxin B was produced by 1.3% of the strains, and was only found in isolates from Buruli ulcers. The tsst-1, sec, and seh genes were rarely detected (≤1%)., Conclusions: This study provides new insight into the prevalence of toxin and antibiotic resistance genes in S. aureus strains responsible for skin, soft tissue, and bone infections. Our results showed that PVL was strongly associated with pyomyositis and osteomyelitis, and that there is a high prevalence of PVL-MRSA skin infections in Benin.

Background: An eight (8) months prospective study was carried out to control an outbreak of nosocomial pneumonia due to a Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) producing Staphylococcus aureus, in the paediatrics' unit at the Zou/Collines Departmental Hospital (CHDZ/C), (Benin)., Methods: Between 1(st) September 2004 and 30(th) May 2005 an investigation was conducted that involved the screening of all patients suspected to have nosocomial pneumonia, hospital environment sampling and the follow-up of cases until the end of hospital admission period. Isolates were identified, tested for antimicrobial susceptibility and analysed for PVL production. The study period was divided into Period I, corresponding to the outbreak period and Period II, after the complete renovation of the Unit along with hand washing promotion., Results: A total of 453 patients were admitted during the period of the study; (235 during Period I and 218 during Period II) in the malnourished children sector. Twenty eight (28) cases of pneumonia due to S. aureus were discovered and PVL-producing S. aureus constituted 61% (17/28) of identified cases. The mortality rate among the PVL- producing strains was 15/17 (88%) while it was 1/11 (9%) among non PVL-producing strains. Enhanced hygiene measures helped to terminate the outbreak., Conclusions: This study showed that PVL was strongly linked to nosocomial pneumonia. PVL-producing S aureus can be controlled in the hospital by a combination of the promotion of preventive measures, decontamination of the environment and the early use of the correct antibiotic at the appropriate dose and for an adequate duration.

Objective: Promotion of environmental hygiene and sanitation in school districts contributes to community health. The purpose of the present study using physicochemical and biological parameters was to show the impact of these hygiene and sanitation measures on the health of schoolchildren in Collines Departement of Benin., Materials and Methods: This prospective study was carried out in three selected primary schools from 28 September to 30 December 2007. A group of 210 children (100 boys and 110 girls) was obtained by careful identification of schoolchildren who benefited from the program and simple random selection. Physicochemical and bacteriologic analysis of water distributed in schools, assessment of the clinical condition of schoolchildren and screening of their hands for pathogenic bacteria allowed us to evaluate the level of hygiene in schools. Existing sanitary equipment was evaluated by on-site visual inspection., Results: Hand screening identified the presence of pathogenic microorganisms on the hands of 74% of schoolchildren. Diarrhea was observed in 30% of pupils, osteomyelitis in 15% and tooth dystrophy in 25%. Water quality analysis showed fluorine and nitrate concentrations of 3.5 mg/L and 15 mg/L respectively and demonstrated contamination by fecal bacteria, especially during storage., Conclusion: The present study revealed a high level of pathogenic organisms on hands and confirmed their presence in water. Training teaching staff about educating and monitoring pupils regarding sanitary standards and protocols is needed to improve the level of competency and of compliance with hygiene measures.