Walther Clementine, Marwa Karol Julius, Seni Jeremiah, Hamis Peter, Silago Vitus, Mshana Stephen Eliatosha, Jande Mary
School of Pharmacy, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza, Tanzania.
Weill Bugando School of Medicine, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza, Tanzania.
Pan Afr Med J. 2016 Mar 1;23:65. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2016.23.65.7917. eCollection 2016.
The use of the traditional herbal medicinal products (THMPs) has been increasing worldwide due to the readily availability of raw materials and low cost compared to the synthetic industrial preparations. With this trend in mind, the safety and quality of THMPs need to be addressed so as to protect the community. The present study evaluated the magnitude and risk factors associated with microbial contamination of liquid THMPs marketed in Mwanza.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in Mwanza city involving 59 participants from whom 109 liquid THMPs were collected and processed following the standard operating procedures. The data were analyzed using STATA software version 11.
The median age (interquartile range) of participants was 35 (27-43) years, with males accounting for 36 (61%). Of 109 liquid THMPs collected, 89 (81.7%) were found to be contaminated; with predominant fecal coliforms being Klebsiella spp and Enterobacter spp. fortunately, no pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella spp and Shigella spp were isolated. There was a significant association of liquid THMPs contamination with low education level (p< 0.001), lack of formal training on THMPs (p = 0.023), lack of registration with the Ministry of Health (p = 0.001), lack of packaging of products (p < 0.001) and use of unboiled solvents during preparation of THMPs (p < 0.001).
There is high contamination rate of liquid THMPs in Mwanza City which is attributable to individuals and system-centered factors. Urgent measures to provide education to individuals involved in THMPs as well as setting up policies and regulations to reinforce THMPs safety is needed.
由于原材料易于获取且与合成工业制剂相比成本较低，传统草药产品（THMPs）在全球范围内的使用一直在增加。考虑到这一趋势，需要解决THMPs的安全性和质量问题，以保护公众。本研究评估了姆万扎市销售的液体THMPs微生物污染的程度和风险因素。
在姆万扎市进行了一项横断面研究，涉及59名参与者，按照标准操作程序从他们那里收集并处理了109种液体THMPs。使用STATA软件版本11对数据进行分析。
参与者的年龄中位数（四分位间距）为35（27 - 43）岁，男性占36人（61%）。在收集的109种液体THMPs中，有89种（81.7%）被发现受到污染；主要的粪便大肠菌群是克雷伯菌属和肠杆菌属。幸运的是，未分离出沙门氏菌属和志贺氏菌属等病原菌。液体THMPs污染与低教育水平（p < 0.001）、缺乏THMPs正规培训（p = 0.023）、未在卫生部注册（p = 0.001）、产品缺乏包装（p < 0.001）以及在制备THMPs过程中使用未煮沸的溶剂（p < 0.001）之间存在显著关联。
姆万扎市液体THMPs的污染率很高，这归因于个人和以系统为中心的因素。需要采取紧急措施，对参与THMPs的个人进行教育，并制定政策和法规以加强THMPs的安全性。
