Groundwater is the primary source of drinking water in arid and semi-arid regions, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to assess groundwater’s contribution to the daily intake of macronutrients (Ca, Mg, Na, and K) and to evaluate health risks associated with nitrate (NO₃⁻) and arsenic (As) contamination in the Lower Mouhoun River Sub-basin, Burkina Faso, an area experiencing rapid land-use changes and increased anthropogenic pressure. We analysed 265 borehole water samples for physico chemical parameters and major ions. The results reveal that groundwater is weakly mineralised and contributes modestly to macronutrient intake, approximately 10% for calcium, 8% for magnesium, 2% for sodium, and 0.5% for potassium, indicating that drinking water provides only a limited portion of daily nutritional needs. While natural water–rock interactions influence groundwater chemistry, a...

Domesticated animals play a role in maintaining residual transmission of Plasmodium parasites of humans, by offering alternative blood meal sources for malaria vectors to survive on. However, the blood of animals treated with veterinary formulations of the anti‐helminthic drug ivermectin can have an insecticidal effect on adult malaria vector mosquitoes. This study therefore assessed the effects of treating cattle with long‐acting injectable for‐ mulations of ivermectin on the survival of an important malaria vector species, to determine whether it has potential as a complementary vector control measure. Eight head of a local breed of cattle were randomly assigned to either one of two treatment arms (2 × 2 cattle injected with one of two long‐acting formulations of ivermectin with the BEPO technology at the therapeutic dose of 1.2 mg/kg), or one of two control arms (2 × 2 cattle injecte...

Shea butter (Vitellaria paradoxa) is an edible fat and income source for rural communities in BurkinaFaso, yet data on artisanal market quality remain scarce. This study assessed the physicochemicalquality of shea butter sold at Gaoua’s main market and its compliance with Codex Alimentarius CXS325R-2017. Twenty-three samples were collected by convenience sampling and analysed for moisture(ISO 662), free fatty acids (FFA; ISO 660), peroxide value (PV; ISO 3960), and insoluble impurities (ISO663). Descriptive statistics, conformity rates, Spearman correlation, and PCA were used. Mean valueswere moisture 0.045 ± 0.015%, FFA 3.332 ± 2.659%, PV 3.50 ± 3.19 mEq O₂/kg, and impurities 0.0144 ±0.0026%. Grade I compliance was 95.7% for moisture, 95.7% for PV, and 100% for impurities, but only17.4% for FFA, the limiting factor. Only 3/23 samples (13.0%) met all four Grade I thresholds. For FFA,43.5...

Domestic violence research has largely focused on women as victims, leaving male victimisation under-recognised. This study examines the prevalence, forms, and consequences of domestic violence against men in Dédougou, Burkina Faso. A mixed-methods design combined a KoboToolbox survey of 598 men with a current or past intimate relationship with 26 semi-structured interviews with male victims, women, religious and customary leaders, law enforcement, the judiciary, and social services (June–July 2025). The survey used non-probability convenience sampling, so the sample is not statistically representative of men in Dédougou or in Burkina Faso. 64.55% of surveyed participants reported experiencing at least one form of violence, most often verbal (49.50%), psychological (24.58%), economic (21.74%), sexual (11.54%), or physical (9.20%). The principal factors reported by respondents wer...

Cet article étudie, dans Allah n’est pas obligé d’Ahmadou Kourouma, la manière dont les choix lexicaux, les actes de langage et l’hybridité franco-malinké construisent et banalisent la violence. Cet article analyse les manifestations discursives de la violence dans Allah n’est pas obligé d’Ahmadou Kourouma, en mobilisant la Pragmatique critique du discours (P.C.D.), l’Analyse du discours critique (A.D.C.) et la Pragmatique linguistique. L’objectif est d’examiner comment les choix linguistiques et les actes de langage dans le texte contribuent à la construction et à la propagation de la violence. L’analyse révèle que l’utilisation d’un langage hybride, mêlant le français à des expressions malinké. Les choix lexicaux et les actes de langage participent à un processus de déshumanisation de l’autre, justifiant ainsi la violence à son encontre. De plus, la répétition d’insultes et de...

Background Bread is one of the most widely consumed staple foods in Burkina Faso and is generally considered a safe product due to the high temperatures applied during baking. However, inadequate hygiene practices during production and commercialization may lead to post-processing contamination. This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of bread sold in Ouagadougou and to assess critical contamination points along its production chain through an evaluation of prerequisite programs (PRPs). Methods Thirty bread samples were collected including twenty four (24) from bakeries and six (6) from street vendors in Ouagadougou. Samples were analyzed for total aerobic mesophilic flora (TAMF), total coliforms, thermotolerant coliforms, yeasts and molds, Staphylococcus spp. and Salmonella spp. Microbiological quality was assessed according to applicable microbiological criteria. In...

Wild fruit trees contribute substantially to food security, rural livelihoods, and climate adaptation across sub-Saharan Africa, yet most remain undomesticated and their fruit production is poorly quantified. Diospyros mespiliformis Hochst ex A.DC. is a key wild fruit tree in West African savannas, but quantitative information on its fruit biomass, morphological variability, and size-yield relationships across environmental gradients remains limited. This study evaluated fruit biomass, fruit and seed morphological traits, and allometric relationships across two climate zones (Sudanian and Sudano-Sahelian) and two land-use types (protected and non-protected areas) in Burkina Faso. A total of 185 fruiting trees (diameter at breast height ≥ 5 cm) were sampled across three diameter classes, with 60 trees in the Sudanian zone and 125 in the Sudano-Sahelian zone. Data were analysed using linea...

Introduction : L’accès à une eau potable de qualité représente un défi majeur pour les villes africaines en raison d’une croissance démographique rapide. Cette étude visait à évaluer la conformité des eaux préemballées de Ouagadougou aux normes de qualité en vigueur au Burkina Faso. Méthodes : Une étude transversale a été menée au sein de l’Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l’Environnement, de l’Alimentation, du Travail et des produits de Santé (ANSSEAT). Quinze échantillons ont été collectés auprès de différentes unités de production et analysés selon des méthodes normalisées (spectrométrie, électrochimie, volumétrie et spectrométrie d’absorption moléculaire). Résultats : Les résultats indiquaient une bonne qualité physico-chimique des eaux étudiées. La turbidité variait entre 0,1 et 0,4 NTU (moyenne : 0,25 NTU), tandis que la conductivité électrique était comprise entre 13,4...

Extended-spectrum ß-lactamases (ESBLs) are bacterial plasmid or chromosomal enzymes capable of inactivating Penicillins, Cephalosporins, Aztreonam and inactive on Carbapenems. They are encoded by the beta-lactamase genes (bla genes) of the IMP family (Imipenemase), GES (Guyana Extended Spectrum), CTX-M (Cefotaximase – Munich). Bacterial resistance by ESBL production has become a global public health problem because it seriously compromises antimicrobial therapies. The objective of this study was to characterize the CTX-M and GES type ESBL genes as well as the IMP type carbapenemase gene carried by Gram-negative bacilli at Saint Camille Hospital in Ouagadougou (HOSCO). Ninety-five (95) strains of Enterobacteriaceae were collected at HOSCO and tested for antibiotics (AMC, ATM, IMP, CTX, CRO and CAZ). Resistant strains, the detection of resistance genes coding for extended spectrum beta-lac...

Background Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae represent a major clinical and public health concern due to their ability to confer resistance to multiple classes of antibiotics. Data on the molecular epidemiology of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae remain limited in many regions of Burkina Faso, particularly outside the Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso. This study aimed to determine the frequency of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae and to characterize the ESBL resistance genes circulating in the Boucle du Mouhoun region. Methods A total of 1,845 clinical samples (urine, pus, blood, and semen) collected from patients attending two major healthcare facilities in Dédougou were processed during the study period. From these samples, 247 non-duplicate Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumo...