Prevalence of enteroparasites in vegetables marketed in the municipality of Conceição da Barra, Espírito Santo, Brazil

• Published in: Revista de salud pública (Bogotá, Colombia) Vol. 22; no. 5; pp. 533 - 536
• Main Authors: Antonino, Aiwny Cássia Jorge, Souza, Anelise Andrade de, Souza, Marco A. Andrade de
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Instituto de Salud Publica, Facultad de Medicina - Universidad Nacional de Colombia 01-10-2020
• Subjects: PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH; verduras; population health (source: MeSH, NLM); salud poblacional (fuente: DeCS, BIREME); Parasitology; food contamination; vegetables; contaminación de alimentos; Parasitología
• ISSN: 0124-0064
• DOI: 10.15446/rsap.v22n5.76120

ABSTRACT Objective To monitor the frequency of enteroparasites in lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and parsley (Petrosolium sativum) samples, marketed in commercial buildings in the municipality of Conceição da Barra, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Materials and Methods Between August 2015 and July 2016, four different popular commercial buildings (fairs, markets and supermarkets) were selected as the largest vegetable suppliers in the municipality of Conceição da Barra, Espírito Santo. A total of 40 samples were analyzed using the modified spontaneous sedimentation method at the Laboratory of Parasitology and Hematology of Centro Universitário Norte do Espirito Santo, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo. Results The most frequent organism in the study population were the commensal Entamoeba coli and the parasites E. histolytica/E.dispar, hookworm, Balantidium coli, Ascaris sp., Toxocara sp., Taenia sp. and Dipylidium sp. Conclusions The results indicate a high degree of contamination of the vegetables, probably related to the precariousness of production, transportation and handling, making it necessary to adopt measures that guarantee the best quality of food and, consequently, better population health.