Abstract

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Food borne parasitic diseases are prevalent in major poor regions of the world and abound where waste from definitive hosts contaminate food, resulting in infections commonly occurring in children and immunocompromised individuals. This study assessed the degree of parasitic contamination of vegetables grown in Lagos, Nigeria. Fifteen (15) different species of vegetables were collected from various farms in Lagos for a period of 2months from August to October. One hundred and thirty eight (138) samples of the vegetables were washed in three wash solutions; physiological saline, glycine buffer and distilled water. The resulting wash solutions were strained and centrifuged to concentrate the parasitic stages and examined with the aid of a light microscope. A prevalence of 58.7% (81 samples) parasitic contamination was found, with various parasites including Hookworm, Ascaris lumbricoides, Entamoeba coli, Fasciola spp,Giardia lamblia and Strongyloides stercoralis. Hookworm and G. lamblia were found in all farm locations surveyed. Lactuca sativa had the highest contamination (17.7 %).Sedimentation technique was more sensitive for detection with a higher parasitic recovery rate (77.4%) than flotation technique (22.6%).The difference however was not statistically significant(p> 0.05). Physiological saline was found to have the capability of dislodging more parasitic stages(58.1%) than other wash solutions. These findings suggest evidence for high risk of acquiring parasitic infection from the consumption of raw vegetables when not properly and hygienically prepared. Proper handling, washing and cooking of vegetable products is strongly advocated to reduce risk of parasitic infections.

Keywords: Endoparasites, Faecal oral, Food safety, Hygiene.