Abstract

Bush meat is a source of food and income for many people in Center Western Côte d’Ivoire. However, it can have adverse effects on the health of the population when food safety practices are not respected. The assessment of the health risk associated with the consumption of bush meat was carried out on 17 faeces samples of Thryonomys swinderianus (marsh cane rat) collected in the city of Daloa in Center Western Côte d’Ivoire. Coproscopy was performed on these faeces for the identification of intestinal parasites followed by DNA extraction from the isolated bacteria. This DNA was amplified by PCR using the 16S rDNA primer and sequenced. The resulting sequences were analysed using bio-informatics tools. This study revealed the presence of a diversity of parasites and bacteria pathogenic to humans in these animals. The Trichuris trichiura species is the most detected parasitic species in terms of intestinal parasites. The bacterial profile obtained is dominated by species belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family, in particular Klebsiella pneumoniae, which is the most common species in the samples analysed. The presence of human pathogens in the faeces of wild animals demonstrates the zoonotic nature of parasitic and bacterial infections and the potential infectious risk of bush meat consumption.

Key words: Thryonomys swinderianus, Marsh cane rat, bush meat, zoonotic pathogens, health risk, molecular analysis, Center Western Côte d’Ivoire.