Presence of Escherichia coli, Salmonella Species, and Staphylococcus aureus in Street Foods in Bamako, Mali

Introduction: Foodborne illnesses are becoming an increasingly significant public health challenge in both developed and developing countries. The most common causes of foodborne illnesses worldwide are bacteria pathogens, among them Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp, Staphylococcus aureus. Aims: The aim of this study was to assess the microbiological quality of street foods sold in Bamako, Mali. Place and Duration of Study: It was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted from July 2019 to October 2023 in Bamako, Mali. Methodology: Street food was collected in six (06) municipalities in Bamako district. Microbiological analysis of samples groups (food group 1, group 2, group 3, group 4, group 5, group 6, group 7, group 8 and group 9), was focused on identifying Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp and Staphylococcus aureus found in these. The standards NF ISO 16649-2, ISO 6579:2002, and NFV 08.057.1 were used.     Results: total 300 samples, with 50 samples per municipality. In municipalities I and II, E. coli was 50% in food group 7, S. aureus 100% in group 9 respectively. The E. coli was 67% in group 7, followed by S. aureus 40% in group 9 and group 6, Salmonella spp 20% in group 5 in municipality III. E. coli and Salmonella spp were 29% in group 7 in municipality IV. E. coli was 50% in group 5 in municipality V. E. coli was 100% in group 7, group 5 and group 1 in municipality VI. Conclusion: In all food groups, E. coli was most present followed by S. aureus and Salmonella spp. These findings offer strong scientific evidence for public health authorities to design targeted interventions for food safety improvement. Moreover, strain identification must be completed by the antibiotic sensitivity study in E. coli, Salmonella spp and S. aureus.