Intestinal parasitic infection is one of the public health problems in developing countries including Pakistan. Food handlers being major source, therefore effective prevention and control require the identification of local risk factors. Presently occupation based cross sectional study was conducted to assess the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections and associated risk factors among food handlers of district Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan from January 2011 to December 2013. Study subjects were selected based on random sampling methods. A total of 267 food handlers were enrolled, socio-demographic data and possible factors for the occurrence of intestinal parasitic infection were collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Approximately 10 grams of stool specimens were examined using wet mount and formal ether concentration technique. The overall prevalence of intestinal parasite was 83.1% (n=222/267). Multiple infections were identified in 28.4% (n=76/267) individuals. These infections were given in order of their frequency and percentage as: Ascaris lumbricoides 55.8% (n=149/267) Trichuris trichuira 14.9% (n=40/267), Entamoeba histolytica /dispar 14.2% (38/267), Enterobius vermicularis 9.73% (n=26/267), Hymenolepis nana 9.36% (n=25/267), Taenia saginata 8.98% (n=24/267), Hookworm 5.99% (16/267) and Giardia lamblia 5.61% (n=15/267). Hand washing before food handling, preparing food during suffering from infectious diseases and using common knife for cutting the flesh or vegetable were the most significantly associated factors for the occurrence of intestinal parasite infection. The results highlighted that food handlers with different pathogenic organisms may influence consumers to significant health risks. Routine screening and treatment of food handlers is a proper tool in preventing food-borne parasitic diseases.
One of the essential factors to be addressed in the development of aquaculture is the feeding regime. This study was investigated to assess the effects of feeding rate on growth performance, feed utilization, chemical body composition survival rate, cannibalism and morphological indices of Asian Seabass, Lates calcarifer . Intended for the trial, one hundred forty sea bass individuals with an average weight 5.47 ± 0.11 g were randomly distributed in 4 concrete tanks (914 cm × 183 cm 122 cm) each; length × width × depth) and volume 18,399 L, for total 68 days. The fishes were fed with a pelleted diet containing 46% crude protein for different feeding groups designated as (T1, T2, T3 and T4). The feed was supplied with a rate of (T1) 3%, (T2) 4%, (T3) 6%, and (T4) 9% of fish biomass per day and feeding frequency were maintained three times per day to all the groups. At the end of the trial water physicochemical parameters was in acceptable range for Asian sea bass growth. The average daily weight gain (g), weight gain (g) and specific growth rate (%) was significantly higher ( p < 0.05) in T3 and T4 as compared to T1 and T2 group. The poorest feed conversion ratio was recorded in T1 group with 3% biomass per day. The cannibalism rate was significantly ( p < 0.05) higher in T1 (3%) compared to T3 and T4 treatment. The morphological indices, condition factors (CF), viscerosomatic index and hepatosomatic index (HSI) was significantly higher in T4 group as compared to other treatments. The protein, moisture and ash contents of the whole biomass of the Asian sea bass were not significantly influenced by feeding rate. The fat levels in the fish bodies increased significantly ( p < 0.05) with increasing feeding ratio. The phenomenal regression indicates that 6.5% feeding rate per day is optimum for best growth performance, survival and minimum cannibalism rate for Asian sea bass in captivity. The outcome of the finding will help in promotion for not only the coastal aquaculture in Pakistan abut also elsewhere.
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