Protozoan Parasites and Leafy Greens in Marrakech: Study of Occurrence Using a Molecular Method

Berrouch, Salma; Escotte-Binet, Sandie; Madline, Atika; Aubert, Dominique; Nast, Eva; Carbona, Stéphanie La; Hoummadi, Laila; Hafid, Jamaleddine; Villena, Isabelle

doi:10.1007/s11686-021-00488-z

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…oocyst (26.5%) and E. histolytica/ E. dispar cysts (22.1%), respectively. These parasites have been identified in a variety of foods and have been linked to green vegetables in several countries throughout the world [46,56]. Water and food-borne transmission are significant factors in these parasites' prevalence in human communities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Occurrence of Soil-Transmitted Parasites Contaminating Soil, Vegetables, and Green Fodder in the East of Nile Delta, Egypt

Yahia

Etewa

Hoot

et al. 2023

Journal of Parasitology Research

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Background. Food-borne parasites are major sources of human and animal illness, posing severe health risks in places with contaminated soil, poor water quality, cleanliness, and poor sanitation. The usage of untreated organic fertilizers arising from the excreta of the parasites’ definitive hosts either man or animal pollutes the agricultural soil and is reflected in its products of vegetables and green fodders causing serious health problems. Therefore, to the best of our knowledge, this will be the first study that investigated the combination of parasitic contamination of the agricultural soil and its products of raw eaten vegetables and green fodder in East Nile Delta, Egypt. Aim. The purpose of this study was to investigate the type and degree of contamination caused by parasites in regularly used raw vegetables, green fodder, and soil samples collected from open fields in Egypt’s East Nile Delta. Study Procedures. A cross-sectional study comprised a simple random collection of 400 soil samples, 180 green fodder samples, and as well as 400 vegetable samples, including lettuce, radish, coriander, parsley, dill, watercress, tomatoes, green pepper, cucumber, and carrot, that were gathered throughout one year period from January to December 2021 to represent all seasons (winter, spring, summer, and autumn). The research locations were chosen from various open green fields and farming regions in Egypt’s East Nile Delta producing ready-to-eat vegetables for human consumptions and planting green fodder for animal feeding. Concentrations, including sedimentation, and flotation, and staining techniques were used to recover the greatest number of parasitic life forms. The parasitic structures discovered were identified using biometric and imaging data and compared with known parasite morphology. Statistical analysis was performed with the SPSS software version 22 (IBM, Chicago, IL, USA). Data were presented in numbers and percentages. P -values equal to or less than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. The difference in parasitic contamination among the different categories was compared using the chi-square test. Results. In this investigation, 243 out of 400 soil samples (60.7%) confirmed positive for parasitic contamination ( P < 0.05 ). Various parasitic life forms were significantly found in 249 out of 400 (62.25%) of the vegetable samples, with (65.1%) of them harboring one parasite species, whereas 9.2% significantly contained up to three parasites. Ascaris eggs, Trichuris eggs, and Giardia cysts were the most prevalent parasites, which were predominantly isolated from vegetables with uneven surfaces. 109 of 180 (60.0%) green fodder samples confirmed insignificantly positive for parasitic pollution. The proportion of parasite contamination in vegetable samples was insignificant although the highest was in spring (29.3%), followed by summer (27.7%), whereas it is significant in autumn (24.5%). The prevalence rate was the lowest in winter (20.1%). Conclusion and Recommendations. Our findings demonstrated a significant load of parasites notably the soil-transmitted parasitic infection in raw vegetables and green fodder cultivated in open fields as well as in their mother soil in the east of the Nile Delta, Egypt. These results confirm the urgent need to deploy strict control measures to the soil, especially during the pre-harvest period of raw eaten vegetables and green fodder, a critical step in reducing food-borne transmission of soil-transmitted parasites to man and animals.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Occurrence of Soil-Transmitted Parasites Contaminating Soil, Vegetables, and Green Fodder in the East of Nile Delta, Egypt

Yahia

Etewa

Hoot

et al. 2023

Journal of Parasitology Research

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“…A significant association of T. gondii infections with the consumption of contaminated raw vegetables was observed in previous studies ( Ekman et al, 2012 ). In a study carried out in Poland, vegetables from shops and home gardens presented a contamination rate by T. gondii of 9.7% ( Lass et al, 2012 ); in a study from China, the prevalence T. gondii DNA was detected in 3.6% of the samples ( Lass et al, 2019 ), whereas in a study from Morocco these data increased to 29.6% in lettuce, coriander, and parsley ( Berrouch et al, 2022 ). T. gondii was not detected in organic strawberries, although the nature of the berries may assist in the attachment of parasites.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Protozoan parasites and free-living amoebae contamination in organic leafy green vegetables and strawberries from Spain

Moreno-Mesonero

Soler

Amorós

et al. 2023

Food and Waterborne Parasitology

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Final destination: The Mediterranean Sea, a vulnerable sea. The long journey of Giardia duodenalis cysts

Berrilli,

Papini,

Barlaam

et al. 2023

Environmental Advances

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Protozoan Parasites and Leafy Greens in Marrakech: Study of Occurrence Using a Molecular Method

Cited by 7 publications

References 65 publications

Investigating the Occurrence of Soil-Transmitted Parasites Contaminating Soil, Vegetables, and Green Fodder in the East of Nile Delta, Egypt

Investigating the Occurrence of Soil-Transmitted Parasites Contaminating Soil, Vegetables, and Green Fodder in the East of Nile Delta, Egypt

Protozoan parasites and free-living amoebae contamination in organic leafy green vegetables and strawberries from Spain

Final destination: The Mediterranean Sea, a vulnerable sea. The long journey of Giardia duodenalis cysts

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