title: Prevalence of foodborne pathogens in food from selected African countries - A meta-analysis.
abstract: Food safety information in the African region is insufficient and fragmented due to lack of surveillance, documentation and reporting, thereby resulting in inefficient utilization of resources, duplication of activities, and lack of synergy among the countries of the region. This paper reviews the prevalence of foodborne pathogens in seven African countries (Benin, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan and Uganda) from papers in regional or international journals published between January 2000 and December 2015. One hundred and sixteen publications that dealt with food microbiology were reviewed for general analysis, while 66 papers on contamination of pathogenic bacteria were used for meta-analysis of prevalence. The food items were split into two categories: raw foods and ready-to-eat (RTE) foods (including street food and beverages) for meta-analysis. Majority of the reviewed studies (67.2%, 78/116) dealt with food of animal origin: 38.8% for meat and eggs, 17.2% for dairy products and 11.2% for aquatic products. Only 8.6% examined foods of plant origin (fruits and vegetables). The remaining 24.1% was the composite RTE food and beverages. Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes were the most frequently reported organisms in those studies. Although the data were highly heterogeneous, a striking feature is high prevalence of the major pathogens in RTE foods, almost as high as in raw foods. E. coli averaged at 37.6% in raw foods and 31.6% in RTE foods. The corresponding prevalence for Salmonella was 19.9% vs 21.7%; S. aureus, 27.8% vs 25.1% and L. monocytogenes, 19.5% vs 6.7%. The average prevalence of foodborne pathogens in these countries was 34.2% (29.0-39.3%). Differences in food types as well as non-uniform protocols for sampling and identification might have contributed to high heterogeneity (I2>97%) although some high prevalence data could be factual with extensive varieties of raw and RTE foods. Need for improved hygienic practices in handling of raw or RTE foods are suggested. Implementation of surveillance programs that use uniform laboratory protocols across the region could give homogeneous results.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
authors.forename: Narayan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Paudyal
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agronomic Science, University of Abomey-Calavi, Jerico, Cotonou, Benin.
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Anihouvi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agronomic Science, University of Abomey-Calavi, Jerico, Cotonou, Benin.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hounhouigan
authors.affiliation: Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Gaborone, Botswana. Electronic address: mmatsheka@bitri.co.bw.
authors.forename: Maitshwarelo Ignatius
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Matsheka
authors.affiliation: Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Gaborone, Botswana. Electronic address: bmonang@bca.bw.
authors.forename: Bonno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sekwati-Monang
authors.affiliation: Food Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Wisdom
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Amoa-Awua
authors.affiliation: Food Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Atter
authors.affiliation: Food Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Nina Bernice
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Ackah
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Technology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mbugua
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Department of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Asagbra
authors.affiliation: National Food Research Centre, Khartoum North, Sudan.
authors.forename: Warda
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Abdelgadir
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Jesca
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nakavuma
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, 1017 Copenhagen, Denmark. Electronic address: moj@food.ku.dk.
authors.forename: Mogens
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jakobsen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address: whfang@zju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Weihuan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fang
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D000818:Animals; D001628:Beverages / Q000382:microbiology; D003611:Dairy Products / Q000382:microbiology; D004531:Eggs / Q000382:microbiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005516:Food Microbiology / Q000379:methods*; D059022:Food Safety; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology; D015995:Prevalence; D066256:Raw Foods / Q000382:microbiology; D012475:Salmonella / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017747:Seafood / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification*
keywords: African food; Foodborne pathogens; Meta-analysis; Prevalence