Potential enterobacteria risk factors associated with contamination of lettuce (</i>Lactuca sativa</i>) grown in the peri-urban area of Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire)

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the risk factors associated with the contamination of lettuce grown in the suburban area of Abidjan. A total of 216 samples were collected. Total aerobic bacterial counts and Enterobacteriaceae were investigated on soil, fertilizer, irrigation water and lettuce samples. Mean values of total aerobic count for sites 1 and 2 were 9.97 log 10 cfu/g and 8.20 log 10 cfu/g for the manure respectively, and 8.11 log 10 cfu/g for the soil of both sites. Lettuce samples from the market were more contaminated by Enterobacteriaceae than those obtained from the production sites. The main enterobacteria isolated were Salmonella gallinarum, Serratia marcescens and E. coli. All the lettuce samples analysed were contaminated by E. coli and Serratia. The prevalences of Serratia marcescens on lettuce from the market and from the production sites 1 and 2 were 58.33%, 33.33% and 41.67% respectively while those of E. coli were 33.33%, 25% and 8.33% respectively. The most common Salmonella serotypes isolated was Salmonella gallinarum with prevalences of 50%, 41.67%, 58.33%. Salmonella choleraesuis and Shigella sonnei were weakly represented. The manure has the highest potential as a source of contamination and infection of lettuce followed by the soils.

Assessment of the Risk of Microbial Contamination of an Urban Crop in the City of Daloa (Côte d&#39;Ivoire): Case of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

“…The same flora had also been identified in urban production lettuce in other works (Mohammad et al, 2013). Similarly, Koffi et al (2011), Mngoli & Ng'ong'ola-Manani, (2014 and Akusu et al (2016) isolated enterobacteria in lettuce in similar studies in Côte d'Ivoire, Malawi and Nigeria, respectively. The strong presence of these microfloras would translate into a marked deficit of good production and hygiene practices in the study site.…”

“…Several studies have reported this form of contamination. For Koffi et al (2011) in Côte d'Ivoire, Abbou et al (2014) in Morocco and Holvoet et al (2014b) in Belgium, irrigation water from urban vegetable crops was the main source of microbial contamination of production. Coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus has been reported in work in lettuce in Brazil (Cé sar et al, 2015).…”

“…These farming practices could favor a high contamination of soil and production tools by microorganisms, some of which may be harmful to human health according to several studies (Koffi et al, 2012;Pereira et al, 2013;Woldetsadik et al, 2017). Productions resulting from these cultivation practices, especially market garden produce, contaminated by pathogens can be dangerous for the consumer (Koffi et al, 2011;Alio et al, 2017). Based on the work of Patterson et al (2010) and those of Blaak et al (2015), the consumption of such cultures constitutes a potential risk factor for infection.…”

“…Thanks to its incomparable nutritional richness and the fibers it contains, lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is of paramount importance in the dietary habits of the population and also for the proper functioning of the organism (Zhang et al, 2009;Berger et al, 2010;Pereira et al, 2013). It is one of the most popular and most consumed vegetables in the world, often the main ingredient in salads (Koffi et al, 2011;Maffei et al, 2013). However, to our knowledge, no exhaustive study of the production route, the microbiological quality of the urban production lettuce in Daloa has not been the subject of any scientific study.…”

Physicochemical and parasitological quality of vegetables irrigation water in Ouagadougou city, Burkina-Faso

“…Therefore, it is important to monitor the quality of water used for irrigation in agriculture, and specially that used for fresh vegetables in Ouagadougou. During the last fifteen years, some studies (Amoah et al, 2004;Raschid-Sally and Jayakody, 2009;Diogo et al, 2010;Koffi-Nevry et al, 2011;Cobbina et al, 2013) highlighted contamination risks by analyzing contamination of vegetables by parasite linked to the quality of irrigation water in West Africa. But in Burkina Faso in particular and generally in the sub-Sudanian semi-arid condition, characterized by important water scarcity and highly increasing pressures on water resources there is still gaps to fill.…”