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A chemical and microbiological study was conducted on twelve dairy farms in the West Region of Cameroon (Central Africa) during the period 2019-2020. Two hundred and sixteen samples of drinking water, green fodder consumed by dairy cows and raw milk produced were analyzed. Calcium and Magnesium contents were assessed by volumetry and atomic absorption spectrometry methods. Lactobacilli, yeasts and molds were isolated on solid culture media by surface spreading techniques. The average Ca2+ concentrations were 42 mg/l, 1674 mg/kg and 1215 mg/l, in the drinking water, green fodder and milk produced respectively. That of Mg2+ was 26 mg/l, 1913 mg/kg and 160 mg/l respectively. The Ca2+ content of the raw milk produced was not significantly different (p>0.05) from that of the green fodder consumed by the cows. However, the drinking water had a significantly lower Ca2+ and Mg2+ content than the green fodder consumed and the raw milk produced (p0.05). Similarly, the yeasts and molds abundance dynamics in the drinking water of the cows were not significantly different from those in the milk produced (p>0.05).&nbsp

International audience; Synergistic effect of abiotic and biotic factors is not completely established in the process of disinfecting water by plant extracts. The present study aims to evaluate the synergistic effect of different pH values (4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9) and different infusion concentrations (10, 20 and 30%) of Artemisia annua on Enterococcus faecalis growth in aquatic microcosm under dark and lighting conditions. The results showed that under dark condition, there was a relative increase in abundance of E. faecalis cells in the presence of A. annua extract. Under lighting, there is a decrease in the abundance of E. faecalis at different infusion concentrations of A. annua. Extract of A. annua seems to favour the growth of E. faecalis cells in the dark, especially at slightly acidic pH. This growth was relatively significant at pH 6. In the presence of light, A. annua extract inhibited the growth of E. faecalis cells and this varied from one extract sample to another; and was significant at slightly basic pH. Under the lighting, different pH values do not appear to have significant influence on the inhibition of bacterial growth except for pH 8. Monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and triterpenes molecules present in infusions could be involved in chemical reactions responsible for cellular inhibition under light condition. Research on photosensitizing compounds and a comparative study with conventional photosensitizers might attest for the involvement of photosensitivity reaction with the A. annua extracts.

A bacteriological and physicochemical study was conducted in the waters of farms in mountainous regions of Cameroon. The different water samples were collected during two campaigns in December 2018 and February 2019. Ten stations representing the drinking water supply points in our study area were identified. The results showed that these waters contained both pathogenic and commensal fecal bacteria. The highest abundances reached 10x103 CFU/100mL for Salmonella sp., 72x103 CFU/100mL for Staphylococcus aureus, 102x103 CFU/100mL for Brucella suis and 40x103 CFU/100mL for Brucella abortus. These abundances were subject to space-time fluctuations. Water contamination by tweezers was not general and was present only in surface waters (rivers and ponds). The water in the ponds, rivers and wells analyzed were all basic, with low mineralization on average. The dissolved oxygen ranged from 37.5 to 70.6%, nitrate from 3.7 to 19.8 mg/L and iron from 0.01 to 3.5 mg/L. Most of the physicochemical parameters were relatively stable during the two campaigns. The degree of correlation between the physicochemical parameters and the abundance dynamics of the isolated bacteria was heterogeneous. This was clearly more pronounced with Salmonella sp. and Brucella suis. This would be due to the fraction of metabolically active cells present when the bacteria are exposed to unfavorable conditions. Correlations with the abiotic factors were less marked with Staphylococcus aureus and Brucella abortus; this would be due to their tolerance to environmental stresses.