Ocorrência de Cryptosporidium spp. e outros parasitas em hortaliças consumidas in natura, no Recife

Abstract

O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a ocorrência de enteroparasitas em hortaliças comercializadas e consumidas em Pernambuco. Foram utilizadas 100 amostras de hortaliças: 40 amostras de alface lisa (Lactuca sativa), 40 de agrião (Nasturtium officinale) e 20 de acelga (Beta vulgaris), provenientes de feiras livres e supermercados. A detecção de Cryptosporidium spp. foi realizada conforme Monge e Arias sendo utilizado dois métodos de coloração, Koster modificado e Ziehl-Nielsen. Foi usada a técnica de sedimentação espontânea de Gelli et al. para a análise parasitológica. As análises de coliformes totais e Escherichia coli foram realizadas de acordo com Andrews. Os resultados obtidos mostraram um percentual de contaminação parasitária em 60% de alface, 30% de agrião e 20% de acelga, destacando-se o Ascaris lumbricoides, Strongyloides stercoralis e Ancylostoma duodenale dentre os helmintos, e o Cryptosporidium spp., Entamoeba coli e o complexo Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba díspar, dentre os protozoários com maior freqüência. As hortaliças mais contaminadas por coliformes totais e Escherichia coli foram alface nas amostras de supermercado e agrião em feira livre. Esses dados sugerem a necessidade da adoção de medidas educativas aos produtores, e do monitoramento das águas destinadas à irrigação das hortas.

Hygienic-sanitary quality of vegetables and evaluation of treatments for the elimination of indigenous E. coli and E. coli O157:H7 from the surface of leaves of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

“…The plates were incubated at 37 °C for 24 hours before the colonies were counted. Non-sorbitol-fermenting colonies on CT-SMAC, (TAKAYANAGUI et al, 2001; SILVA; ANDRADE; STAMFORD, 2005). The Brazilian microbiological standard for irrigation water is 200 thermotolerant coliforms.mL -1 .…”

Parasitological Analysis of Cress (Nasturtium Officinale, Barbarea Verna E Lepidium Sativum) Samples From Curitiba Area, Brazil

“…Most of the plants used for food can be a parasite transmission vehicle, containing protozoan cysts, eggs and larvae of helminths and the lack of minimum health conditions, such as the water contamination by human feces used for irrigation may impose a real threat to consumers (Simoes et al, 2001;Norberg et al, 2008;Silva et al, 2005). A third of the world's population lives in environmental conditions that facilitate the spread of parasite infections.…”

“…This contamination is difficult to remove as the vegetables are eaten raw (Machado et al, 2009). The plant structure also facilitates contamination and in the case of watercress, it presents multiple and separate leaves with large contact area, allowing a greater fixation of free-living parasite stages (Silva, 2005).…”

“…In addition, watercress consumption tends to grow at a rate of at least 10% per year (Agron-team, 2015). Recent studies have shown a high number of lettuce contaminations by intestinal parasites such as helminth and protozoan (Bonilha et al, 1994;Freitas et al, 2004;Garcia et al, 2004;Montanher et al, 2007;Oliveira et al, 2012;Santarém et al, 2012;Silva et al, 2005) (Alves, 2013;Silva, 2014;Vieira, 2013). Toxocara spp.…”

“…The ingestion of Toxocara canis eggs causes visceral larva migrans and the ingestion of Ascaris lumbricoides eggs causes ascariasis in humans (Maciel, 2014;Vieira, 2013). Laboratory diagnosis of parasites present in vegetables is of great importance to public health as it may provide data on the hygienic conditions involved in the production, storage, transport and handling of these products, as well as the risks of contamination to consumers (Silva et al, 2005). Few national and international studies report the vegetable contamination by intestinal parasites (Garcia et al, 2004).…”