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ElSafadi, Dima, Osman, Marwan, Hanna, Angel, Hajar, Iman, Kassem, Issmat I., Khalife, Sara, Dabboussi, Fouad and Hamze, Monzer (2023) 'Parasitic Contamination of Fresh Leafy Green Vegetables Sold in Northern Lebanon'. Pathogens, Vol 12, Issue 8, p. 1014.
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Abstract
Contaminated, raw or undercooked vegetables can transmit parasitic infections. Here, we investigated parasitic contamination of leafy green vegetables sold in local markets in the Tripoli district, Lebanon, during two consecutive autumn seasons (2020–2021). The study involved the microscopic examination of 300 samples of five different types of vegetables (60 samples per type) and used standardized qualitative parasitological techniques for some protozoa and helminths. The results showed that 16.7% (95% interval for p: 12.6%, 21.4%) (50/300) of the vegetable samples were contaminated with at least one parasite. The most frequently detected parasite was Blastocystis spp. (8.7%; 26/300); this was followed in frequency by Ascaris spp. (3.7%; 11/300). Among the different vegetable types, lettuce (23.3%; 14/60) was the most contaminated, while arugula was the least contaminated (11.7%; 7/60). The statistical analysis did not reveal any significant association between the prevalence of parasitic contamination and the investigated risk factors, which included collection date, vegetable type, market storage status, and wetness of vegetables at the time of purchase (p > 0.05). The high prevalence of parasitic contamination also suggested the potential presence of other microbial pathogens. These findings are important because leafy green vegetables are preferentially and heavily consumed raw in Lebanon. Thus, implementing effective measures that target the farm-to-fork continuum is recommended in order to reduce the spread of intestinal pathogens.
| Item Type: | Article | ||||
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| Subjects: | WA Public Health > WA 100 General works WC Communicable Diseases > Tropical and Parasitic Diseases > WC 695 Parasitic diseases (General) |
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| Faculty: Department: | Clinical Sciences & International Health > Clinical Sciences Department | ||||
| Digital Object Identifer (DOI): | https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12081014 | ||||
| Depositing User: | Amy Carroll | ||||
| Date Deposited: | 07 Aug 2023 10:35 | ||||
| Last Modified: | 07 Aug 2023 10:50 | ||||
| URI: | https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/22907 |
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