Peanut is a plant of the legume family in which the central stem produces peanut flowers [1] [2] . The fruit is a pod containing one to three seeds that develop in the branches and are pushed underground [3] [4] . Peanut, were introduced during the colonial era in Africa, during the cotton crises as one of the ways to ensure additional income to that of cotton. This has been a source of income to boost the economy of African countries located in savannah areas [5] . Peanut has a high nutritional value due to the presence of proteins, fatty acids, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, calcium and phosphorus [4] . Studies have highlighted the medical interest of consuming peanuts to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes [5] . In the savannah areas of northern Cameroon, southern Chad and the Central African Republic, peanuts have emerged as one of the ways for rural people as well as for traders and new deflators from public administrations and private organizations. Peanuts have emerged as a truly regional product, very famous in African cuisine for their multiple uses as condiments [6] . Traditional techniques for processing peanuts into paste or butter, preservation, storage and transportation are still used. These practices are optimal conditions for the development of pathogenic microorganisms, which constitutes a serious problem for human health [1] [7] . This could lead to the growth of bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Proteus sp, and Salmonella sp in peanut pastes as signs of microbial proliferation presenting a potential risk related to the pathogenicity of these germs on human health [8] . Apart from contamination by toxins, in particular aflatoxins resulting from the growth of fungi in their seeds during storage, handling and transport, the bacterial risk remains higher [9] . In the Central African Republic as in other countries in the sub-region, peanuts have often been considered mainly as a secondary crop grown around huts. Its cultivation was only practiced by women and children. The share of area reserved for this crop is increasing significantly and is respectively 17% for an average farm in the CAR, i.e. an area of 100,000 ha [10] . Peanut seeds are used to make oils often used for preparing food in kitchens. Peanut seeds are also eaten raw or roasted [11] . Transformed into pastes, it is one of the most popular ingredients in Central African cuisine, either consumed directly in the form of “GBAKPA” butter. Thus transformed, artisanal processing, means of conservation, transport and places of sale can promote the development of bacteria and mold [1] [12] . Peanut pastes from artisanal processing are sold throughout the territory of the Central African Republic (CAR) in precarious hygiene conditions and at the risk of proliferation of various microorganisms that could raise the problem of poisoning and toxiinfection among consumers. Because no study has been carried out in this area to my knowledge in the CAR, it is in this context that this study was conducted, the objective of which was to determine the profile of germs contaminating peanut pastes for human consumption sold in the city of Bangui.

Samples of peanut pastes sold in the markets of the city of Bangui were collected and analyzed at the National Laboratory of Clinical Biology and Public Health according to ISO standards [15] [16] . The questionnaire administered to sellers showed that the marketing of peanut pastes in the Central African Republic was carried out 96.3% by women and 3.8% by men. The level of education of sellers was very low. A prevalence of 65.6% of sellers had dropped out of primary school, 3.8% in the first cycle and 24.4% in the second cycle. The results of the studies carried out by Lango yaya et al. in the Central African Republic in 2020, Nanadoum et al. in Chad and AKA et al. in Ivory Coast in 2006 on sales of traditional drinks are really the same with regard to the age groups of sellers, the sex ratio and the level of education [17] [25] [26] . This similarity of results could be explained by the correlation of African cultural diversity which prohibits the practice of certain activities reserved for people of a given sex. The peanut paste manufacturing process is made up of four major steps: sorting, grilling, blanching and grinding. These production stages are in line with those described by Jean-Luc Knoden et al. in the peanut butter manufacturing manual and Woodroof et al. on the peanut paste production process who also described these four major steps [3] . The peanut paste processing technique described in our study is almost the same in most African countries. The results of the HACCP risk assessment in this study showed that only 3% of vendors have knowledge of food hygiene, 27% of food preservation technology. For conservation, 61.25% of sellers adopted humidity conservation technology. The proportion of contamination depending on the shelf life was of the order of 76.23% for pasta preserved for more than 3 days and 26.25 for pasta preserved for less than three days. The storage time factor is a risk for contamination of peanut pastes with Chi2 = 0.002. The sales environment had 26.5% dirty spaces, 17% space marked by the presence of flies and 62% covered with puddles of water and 47% dusty space. The personal hygiene of sellers was 14% of sellers with dirty clothes, 57.50% of hair and clothes not covered and 11.88% of lesions located on the upper part of the body. The contamination of peanut pastes is due in most cases to preservation methods (Chi 2 = 0.002 significant) and the hygienic conditions of sellers (Chi 2 = 0.034 significant). The results of this study are inconsistent with the recommendations relating to food hygiene rules and good practice applicable to foodstuffs intended for human consumption described by Buisson et al. in 2008 [7] . The method of sale of peanut pastes was of the order of 48.3% of sale only of peanut pastes and 56.3% of sale associated with other food condiments. The results thus obtained corroborate with those of the studies carried out by Raveloson et al. in 2004; Razafindramanana et al. in 1995 and RAZAFY et al. in the city of Antananarivo who obtained in their studies the two modalities such as the sale associated with other food products and the sale only of peanut paste by some sellers [27] [28] . The modality of sale associated with other food products could be explained as the possible strategy to gain and maintain customers. In this study the bacterial load varied 56219 × 10⁶ CFU/g for mesophilic aerobic germs; 69 × 10⁶ - 71 × 10⁶ CFU/g for total coliforms; 43 × 10⁶ - 88 × 10⁶ CFU/g for fecal coliforms; enterococci were 3.65 × 10⁶ - 111.8 × 10⁶ CFU/g. Our results are consistent with those obtained by Mejrhit1 et al. in Morocco in 2015 in peanuts who obtained similar results [1] . The high number of bacterial load could be explained by the non-compliance with hygiene rules in the production process up to sale; unsuitable sales locations, sales materials as well as lack of knowledge of critical points in the contamination chain. The proportion of germ contamination is very high with mesophilic aerobic germs in the Boy Rabe Market, which means, 219 × 10⁶ CFU/g; Miskine Market of 148 × 10⁶ CFU/g and 160 × 10⁶ CFU/g. For total coliforms, contamination is high at the Combattant Markets of 88 × 10⁶ CFU/g; 76.6 × 10⁶ CFU/g; Miskine of 71 × 10⁶ CFU/g and Pétévo. Fecal coliforms are from 69 × 10⁶ to 71.1 × 10⁶ CFU/g at the Boy-rab, Combattant and Sango markets. Enterococci of 82.9 × 10⁶ CFU/g at the Miskine Market and 111.2 × 10⁶ CFU/g at the Pétévo Market and finally sulfite-reducing anaerobes of 26.7 × 10⁶ CFU/g at the Mamadou Mbaïki Market and 70.8 × 10⁶ CFU/g at the Sango Market. The results obtained are inconsistent with those of the study conducted in Morocco by Euloge S. et al. in Benin in 2012 on mycotoxins and microflora contaminating peanuts [29] . The high concentration obtained in certain markets could be explained by the environmental situation of these markets or the places of sale which do not meet the conditions required for the protection and reduction of risks relating to the contamination of peanut pastes for human consumption. Our results are in line with those of a study conducted by Ezzchiel et al. in 2012 in Nigeria on the bacteriological quality of peanut butter in local markets in Nigeria, who also obtained a high microbial load of high proportion of coliforms [30] . The overall contamination profile by isolated and identified enterobacteria is 54% prevalence of contamination. The isolated germs were of the order of 3.4% Klebsiella pneumonae. 4.6% Citrobactere koserii, Enterobactere sakazakii, Flaviomonas horzitiabita, Klebsiella oxytoca and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. 5.7% Citrobactere freundii. 8% Proteus mirabilis. 10.3% Enterobactere cloacae and Klebsiella spp and 29.9% Escherichia coli. Our results corroborate those of the studies carried out by Euloge S et al. in 2012 in Benin; Ezzchiel et al. in 2012 and Odu et al. in 2001 in Nigeria who isolated and identified pathogenic germs in peanuts and its derivatives [30] . The prevalence of contamination by Market was 35% at the Pétévo Market, 40% at the Centrale and Sango Markets, 60% at the Mamadou Mbaïki Market, 70% at the Ouango Market and 75% at the Boyrab Market. These results could be explained by the fact that the sales environment is often unsanitary from one market to another.

The choice of markets for our sampling was not representative of all markets in the Central African Republic. Few studies have been carried out in this area, which has made it difficult to discuss our results.

The results obtained from this study reveal that the consumption of traditionally processed peanut pastes exposes consumers to a serious public health problem. Failure to comply with hygiene rules, lack of knowledge of the concepts of toxiinfection and food poisoning and the unsanitary nature of the sales environment, allows an increase in germs indicating fecal contamination and of medical interest such as Enterobacteriaceae koserii, Flaviomonas luteola, Klebsiella arizonnae, Klebsiella ozaenae, Seratia liquefasciens, Klebsiella pneumonae, Citrobactere koserii, Enterobacter sakazakii, Flaviomonas horzitiabita, Klebsiella oxytoca and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Enterobacter cloacae and Klebsiella spp and Escherichia coli. The high microbial load and the pathogens isolated in this study may pose a risk of poisoning by toxins produced by these microorganisms, food-borne infectious diseases for the health of consumers. We suggest that the Central African Ministry of Public Health monitor foodstuffs intended for human consumption and that sellers strictly comply with the hygiene rules applicable to foodstuffs to guarantee the health of consumers.