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ABSTRACT
Parasitic infections are of great public health importance because of their high prevalence and effects on both nutritional health and immune status of people living in tropical and sub-tropical countries. Five types of vegetable samples such as tomatoes, (Solanium iycapersicum), cucumber (Cucumis sativus), carrot (Daucus carota), cabbage (Brassica olerecea), lettuce (Lactuca sativa), were investigated for parasites using sedimentation and floatation methods. Out of 430 samples of the vegetables screened, 258(60%) were found to be contaminated with helminth ova/larvae and protozoan cysts. Ova/larvae of Ascaris lumbricoides 23(20.4%), Strongyloides stercoralis 32(28.3%, Trichuris trichuria 21(18.6%), hookworm 28(24.8%) and Fasciola species 6(5.3%) were identified. Strongyloides stercoralis and hookworm were the most encountered with prevalent rates of 28.3% and 24.8%, respectively, while the protozoan cysts recovered were those of Entamoeba histolytica 3(2.7%). Among the vegetables, lettuce 36(28.6%) was the most contaminated while cucumber 14(11.1%) had the least contamination. The results of this study implicated salad vegetables in the transmission of intestinal parasites. It is therefore imperative that the sanitary condition of these vegetables be improved from the producers down to the consumers.
Keywords: Parasites contamination, Strongyloides stercoralis, Hookworm, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichuria, Fasciola species, Entamoeba histolytica Salad vegetables, Tomatoes, Carrot, Cucumber, Cabbage, Lettuce
INTRODUCTION
Salad vegetables are green vegetables which are rich in vitamins and minerals and are consumed without any heat treatment. They are essential for human health and well-being and form a major component of a healthy diet in every family (Sunil et al., 2014). They contain valuable nutritional factors that are used in the build up and repair of the body. According to WHO (2003) a minimum of 400g of vegetables and fruits per day is needed for prevention of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and obesity and alleviation of several micronutrient deficiencies especially in less developed countries. They substantially improve food quality and have high water content. Many vegetables are good sources of vitamin C, carotene, iron, thiamin, niacin and riboflavin (Frazier and Westhoff, 1998). Consumption of salad vegetables is encouraged because they retain natural flavour and preserve heat labile nutrients which could be destroyed by cooking.
Despite all these benefits, green vegetables, often act as potential sources and route for the spread of various parasitic infections. In view of this, the 54th...