The study aimed to determine the prevalence of peste des petits ruminants in the arid zone (Niamey, Tillabéry and Tahoua) of the Republic of Niger. A serological survey was conducted and 519 serum samples were collected from 253 unvaccinated sheep and 266 unvaccinated goats. The sample included 340 female animals (168 sheep and 172 goats) and 160 kids and lambs (78 lambs and 82 kids). A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay yielded an overall seroprevalence of 45.0%. The prevalence in sheep was 42.0% compared with 47.9% in goats. The seroprevalence observed amongst small ruminants in Tahoua (49.8%) and Tillabéry (46.6%) was significantly higher (p = 0.001) than that observed in animals from Niamey (25.1%). It was also higher (p = 0.04) in sheep younger than two years (51.8%) than in adults (37.6%). Conversely, the seroprevalence showed no significant difference between male animals (35.8% in sheep; 50.1% in goats) and female animals (45.1% in sheep; 46.4% in goats). The prevalence of the disease observed amongst the sheep and goat populations confirms the continued danger of this disease in the areas studied. It is therefore necessary to develop strategies such as improving livestock services, providing effective vaccines and implementing a vaccination programme for an effective control of the disease in sub-Saharan Africa.

The purpose of this study was to identify the methods of processing and preserving of local milk within the area of Liptako-Gourma in ​​Niger. A survey was conducted and data were collected from 600 people involved in dairy sector, comprising of 59% producers, 28.7% collectors and 12.3% processors. The study also revealed two main methods of milk processing that is pasteurization and fermentation comprising of natural/spontaneous fermentation done by 42.9% and fermentation method by backslopping practiced by 57.10% of processors. In addition, four methods of preserving milk were identified, including the cooling of raw milk, pasteurized or fermented milk, the pasteurization of raw milk itself for sale or for processing, the fermentation of raw milk or pasteurized milk and the addition of guinea pepper pods to fermented milk. Milk processing and preserving technology remains traditional with no compliance to hygiene good practices and the use of old material being limited most often to the strict minimum. Due to these results, attention should be paid to the training of the processors on hygiene and good practices at all levels of the local milk industry in order to improve traditional methods related to the processing and preserving of local milk and thus raising the quality of the dairy products in terms of microbiological safety.

Background and Aim: Milk is a food of high nutritional value, which occupies an undeniable place in the human food ration, but is an ideal medium for microbial growth. This study aims to assess the hygienic quality of local raw and fermented milk from the Liptako-Gourma region in Niger. Materials and Methods: We performed physical and bacteriological analyses on 330 samples of bovine milk from local breeds, including 110 individual milk samples (per cow), 110 fermented milk samples, and 110 blended milk samples. The microbiological parameters were determined using standard methods. Results: The physical analysis revealed temperatures during sample collection for all milk types between 35.2°C and 37.8°C. The average pH of fermented milk varied between 3.16 and 4.92 and those of individual and blended raw milks between 5.42 and 6.98. The titratable acidity varied from 15° to 18.1°D for raw milk and between 59° and 122°D for fermented milk. The average density of individual and blended milks ranged between 1.028 and 1.035. Regionally, milk samples from Tillaberi had a significantly higher aerobic mesophilic germ (GAM) load (7.42 ± 0.53 × 107 Colony-forming unit/mL; p = 0.0025) compared to the Dosso and Niamey regions. The prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella spp. were 86.36%, 12.73%, and 20.91%, respectively, in fermented milk. Phenotypic identification pointed toward three genera: E. coli (30.76% ± 0.25%), S. aureus (20.58% ± 0.14%), and Salmonella spp. (2.74 ± 0.04%). Conclusion: The present data suggest that milk samples collected from three regions in Liptako-Gourma had low quality; further, some of the bacteria identified (E. coli, S. aureus, and Salmonella spp.) could be potential foodborne pathogens.