Parasitic contamination of vegetables marketed in Arba Minch town, southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background Consumption of unwashed, raw or unhygienically prepared fruits and vegetables act as potential source for the spread of various parasitic diseases. Moreover, the level of contamination and species of contaminant parasites vary from place to place because of variations in environmental and human factors. Therefore local determination of the level of contamination and associated factors is important for efficient intervention of infections acquired via those food items. Methods A Cross-sectional study was conducted among purchased vegetables in selected markets of Arba Minch town from January to March, 2018. A structured questionnaire was used to capture data about factors associated with parasitic contamination of vegetables in the marketing phase. Selected vegetables were purchased and processed for examination of parasitic contamination using direct wet mount, iodine wet mount and modified zeihl Neelson staining following standard protocols. All data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Results Among 347 vegetable samples examined, 87(25.1%) were contaminated with at least one parasite species. Tomato (35.0%) was the most commonly contaminated vegetable while green pepper (10.6%) was the least contaminated one. Entameoba histolytica/dispar (29, 8.4%) was the commonest parasitic contaminant detected followed by Giardia lamblia (24, 6.9%) and oocyst of Cryptosporidium species (5.8%). Vegetable type (X 2 = 13.5; p = 0.009) and source of vegetables (X 2 = 24.1; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with parasitic contamination of vegetables. Conclusion Parasitic contamination rate among marketed vegetables in the present study is significantly considerable. Entameoba histolytica /dispar was the most frequently detected parasite. We recommend to the local public health sector to establish a system for continuous monitoring of contamination of vegetables sold at local markets.

A smartphone microscope method for simultaneous detection of (oo)cyst of Cryptosporodium and Giardia

“…In contrast Utaaker et al reported that only 14% (8/56) tomatoes and 9%(4/47) cabbages were contaminated with either Giardia cysts or Cryptosporidium oocysts[22].In case of root vegetables such as carrot, the current study has a very low record (10%) for both Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Similar results were also reported in other studies like 14% positive cases in India[22] and 6.4% in Southern Ethiopia[47] for Giardia. A slightly higher positive cases was observed in Egypt (43.3%)[44] and Korea (33.3%).We tested eighteen surface water samples collected from 3 different sites of the Bishnumati river, Kathmandu, Nepal in two different field campaigns.…”

<p>Parasitic Contamination of Fruits and Vegetables Collected from Local Markets of Bahir Dar City, Northwest Ethiopia</p>

“…Variables with p-value <0.25 in the binary logistic regression analysis were taken as candidates for multiple logistic regression in order to avoid the effect of confounders. 22 An association with p-value <0.05 at 95%CI was considered as significant.…”

“…The parasitic contamination rate in Arba Minch town was reduced from 54.4% in 2014 to 25.1% in 2018. 15,22 Variations in geographical distribution of parasites, sanitary and socioeconomic status of the community could be the other contributing factors. Alternatively, the overall contamination rate in the present study was higher than findings in Iran (8.4%); Ibadan city of Southwest Nigeria (11.6%); Alexandria (31.7%) and Benha (29.6%) in Egypt; Sudan (10.6%) and Arba Minch town (25.1%).…”

“…Approximately 200 g of each fruit and vegetable sample were chopped using sterile knife and chopping pad, soaked and rinsed in a beaker containing 500 mL of normal saline (0.85% NaCl) for 20 min followed by agitation in a shaker for 5 min to facilitate adequate washing. 22,25 Then, samples were removed from the beaker and the washing solution was incubated overnight for adequate sedimentation of parasite stages. About 15 mL of the sediment was transferred to a centrifuge tube using a sieve to remove undesirable matter.…”

“…21 Recent studies in Ethiopia showed that 25.1% to 57.8% of the fruit and vegetable samples collected at the marketing phase were contaminated with parasites. 5,15,21,22 However, the rate of contamination and species of parasites vary by weather conditions, sociocultural status, season of sample collection, fruit and vegetable items examined and other factors. This demands monitoring of the contamination status and contributing factors at local settings in order to intervene in transmission of IPs.…”