ISSN 2756-3413
African Journal of Virology Research ISSN 2756-3413 Vol. 18 (6), pp. 001-010, June, 2024. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Prevalence and Bacterial Etiology of Skin Lesions among Primary School Pupils in Central Côte d'Ivoire: A Study from Bouaké
Wayoro Oby Zéphirin 1,2* , Ehounoud Bilé Cyrille Hervé 3,4, N’Guessan A Nicaise epse Okoubo1, Tadet Juste Olivier Nekker 2, Boka Irie Sara Esther 2 Cox Constanze5, Dupke Susann5, Klee Silke R5*, Akoua Koffi Chantal2,6*
1Université Felix Houphouet Boigny, Laboratoire de Biologie et Santé, UFR Biosciences, Côte d’Ivoire
2Centre Hospitalier et Universitaire (CHU) de Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire
3Laboratoire National d’Appui et du développement Agricole, LCVB Bingerville, service Bactériologie, Côte d’Ivoire
4Institut National de Santé Publique, IPR Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire
5Robert Koch Institute, Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens (ZBS2), Berlin, Germany
6Université Alassane Ouattara de Bouaké, Faculté de Médecine, Côte d’Ivoire
Accepted 07 August, 2022
In Sub-Saharan Africa, skin infections mainly affect children. Among this, cutaneous anthrax is known to affect domestic animals and young children might have contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological, bacteriological aspects of skin lesions and to assess the risk of acquiring cutaneous anthrax in the school environment in Bouaké. It is a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study. Epidemiological data were collected using a simple questionnaire. Skin lesions were analyzed using conventional bacteriological methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates was tested using the Kirby-Bauer technique according the Antibiogram Committee’s recommendations of the French Society of Microbiology 2019. Of the 3174 schoolchildren, 1220 (38.43%) had skin lesions. 325 (26.63%) schoolchildren were included in the study and had a mean age of 9 years (± 5) with a sex ratio of M/F at 1.65. Young schoolchildren aged 5 to 10 years were the most affected (76.62%). The majority had regular contact with domestic animals (64.31%). The rate of hand washing after defecation was 41.38%. Skin lesions were located on the lower limbs (91.69%), with superficial lesions (88.79%), ulceration (81.03%) and trauma (79.40%) being the most common. Culture of swabs was positive in 85.29% of cases and 277 bacterial strains were identified. The bacteria identified were mainly Staphylococcus aureus (71.84%), and Streptococcus spp. (6.50%). Bacillus spp. was observed rarely, and neither classic B. anthracis nor the atypical B. cereus biovar anthracis were identified. The resistance phenotypes reported in Staphylococcus aureus were PASE (95%), MRSA (34%), and VAN-R (15%).The high prevalence of MRSA requires also health surveillance in these schools. Our results can be used in the management or antibiotic treatment of skin infections.
Keywords: Skin lesions - Staphylococcus aureus- MRSA - schoolchildren - Côte d’Ivoire (Bouake).