Abstract

Cholera is an epidemic disease and a real public health problem throughout the world, particularly in West Africa. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the pathogenicity, epidemiology and Vibrio cholerae strains’s antibiotics resistance in West Africa. A literature review was conducted online in English using the keywords “Cholera”, “Vibrio cholerae” “West Africa”, “Epidemiology”, “Antibiotic resistance”. These keywords were entered into using electronic databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus and Elsevier and articles were used according to the reliability of their sources, study areas, and subjects. This review was based on the collected data from different databases. One hundred and twenty-three articles were identified. After the initial and final sorting of the collected data in order to eliminate duplicate copies, eighty-three were retained while seventy articles were selected, respectively, for this review. Though some studies had recommended for a system of monitoring cholera in West African countries, nevertheless, there is the need to create more awareness. Furthermore, hygienic practices and environmental wastes management in these countries need to be improved.

Key words: Cholera, epidemiology, Vibrio cholerae, antibiotic resistance, West Africa.