Parasitic infection is highly prevalent throughout the developing countries of the world. Food handlers are a potential source of infection for many intestinal parasites and other enteropathogenic infections as well. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasite carriers among food handlers attending the public health center laboratory in Sari, Northern Iran for annual check-up. The study was performed from August 2011 through February 2012. Stool samples were collected from 1041 male and female food handlers of different jobs aged between 18 to 63 years and were examined following standard procedures. Sociodemographic, environmental and behavioral data analysis of the food handlers were recorded in a separate questionnaire. Intestinal parasites were found in 161 (15.5%) of the studied samples. Seven species of protozoan or helminth infections were detected. Most of the participants were infected with Giardia lamblia (53.9%) followed by Blastocystis hominis (18%), Entamoeba coli (15.5%), Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (5.5%), Cryptosporidium sp. (3.1%), Iodamoeba butschlii (3.1%) and Hymenolepis nana (1.9%) as the only helminth infection. The findings emphasized that food handlers with different pathogenic organisms may predispose consumers to significant health risks. Routine screening and treatment of food handlers is a proper tool in preventing food-borne infections.

Parasitic infection is highly prevalent throughout the developing countries of the world. Research on the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in various geographic regions is a prerequisite for the development of appropriate control strategies. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among schoolchildren in public primary and secondary schools in the urban areas of Sari, Mazandaran province, northern Iran. The study was conducted from November 2009 to June 2010. A total of 1100 stool samples from 607 males and 493 females aged 7-14 years were examined by direct wet mounting, formalin-ether concentration, and Ziehl-Neelsen and trichrome permanent staining methods. A parental questionnaire for common risk factors was completed for each participant. Mono- or poly-parasitism was detected in 367 (33.3%) of the children (32.6% of males and 34.2% of females). Various species of protozoan or helminth infections were detected: Blastocystis hominis seemed to be the most prevalent parasite (13.5%) followed by Giardia lamblia (10.6%), Entamoeba coli (7.2%), Endolimax nana (1.5%), Enterobius vermicularis (2.2%), Trichostrongylus sp. (2.1%) and Strongyloides stercoralis (1.6%). The prevalence of intestinal parasite infections in females was slightly higher than in males, though without a statistically significant difference (p=0.56). No age association was detected, and a slightly lower positive association with increasing age was observed (p=0.33). A significant association was observed with parents' educational level, household income and practice of hand washing before meals (p<0.01). Although paediatric pathogenic intestinal parasite infections are not more prevalent in this geographical area than in other regions, improvements in personal hygienic conditions and behavioural characteristics is important to completely control parasitic infections in schoolchildren in northern Iran.

Food handlers with poor personal hygiene could be potential sources of infection due to pathogenic bacteria. This study was designed to determine the prevalence of bacterial infestation among the food handlers attending the public health center laboratory in Sari, northern Iran for annual check-up. This study was performed from September 2013 to August 2014. Stool samples, fingernail specimens of both hands and nasal swabs were collected from 220 male and female food handlers of different jobs, aged between 17-65 years. The samples were cultured on bacteriological culture media and bacterial species were identified following standard procedures. A structured questionnaire was used to record sociodemographic and behavioral data analysis of the food handlers. Of the total 220 subjects examined, 62.2% showed positive culture for different bacterial species from their fingernail contents, 65.4% were found to be harboring Staphylococcus aureus in their nostrils and 0.9% tested positive for Shigella boydii from stool samples. Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant bacteria isolated from fingernail specimens (46%), followed by Escherichia coli (29.2%), Coliforms (18.2%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6.6%). This study showed a statistically significant difference in the rate of bacterial infestation between different occupational categories (p=0.04). Butchers showed the highest prevalence of bacteria (86.6%) in their fingernail contents, followed by fast food workers (76.5%), bakers (73.5%), chicken store workers (73%), school cafeterias staff (53.3%), restaurant workers (46.9%) and fruit/vegetables sellers (42.5%). The highest rate of nasal carrier for Staphylococcus aureus was observed among chicken store workers 14/17(20.8%). These findings indicate the need for intensive training/retraining and health education of all food service employees and strengthening the existing screening methods to control the problem of bacterial infestation in food handlers.

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A cross-sectional survey was undertaken to study the prevalence and intensity of infection with Toxocara cati in 100 stray cats, from April to October 2004 in urban areas of Sari, northern Iran. A total of 44 cats (44%) were found to be infected with T. cati. There was a significant difference in the prevalence of infection relative to host age and weight (P = 0.000). There was also a significant difference in the intensity of infection relative to body weight and urban sites (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found between the prevalence of infection relative to host gender, urban sites and season (P>0.05), nor in the intensity of infection between host gender, age and season (P>0.05). The intensity of infection ranged from 1 to 32 worms per cat, with a mean of 7.30 +/- 6.82.