Prevalence of Parasitic Contaminations in Raw Vegetables in District Narowal
Prevalence of Parasitic Contaminations in Raw Vegetables in District Narowal
Syed Shakeel Shah1, Ayesha Jameel1, Sabila Afzal1*, Muhammad Zubair2, Iram Fatima Bokhari1
ABSTRACT
Consumption of raw vegetables is common in many parts of the world. Raw vegetables are an obligatory source of nutritious intake and parasitic transmission to humans. Vegetables contaminated with parasites play a vital role in the cycle of intestinal parasitic transmission. A study on vegetables collected from shops, wholesale markets and vendors in Narowal were analyzed for parasitic contamination. Five vegetables, including coriander (Corriandum sativum), spinach (Spinacia oleracea), mint (Mentha viridus), green chili (Capsicum annum) and carrot (Davcus carota), were examined in our study. One hundred forty-five samples of different vegetables were collected and processed. 200 grams of each vegetable sample was centrifuged, followed by sedimentation and floatation to recover parasites eggs, cysts and larvae. A high prevalence of about 47.58% was described in this study. Coriander was the highest contaminated vegetable (51.42%), followed by mint (48.57%). The carrot was the minimum contaminated vegetable with 40% contamination. Examination of vegetables revealed 12 genera of parasites along with aquatic mites (5.74%). Taenia was the most prevalent parasite (25.28%) followed by Ascaris (21.83%), Toxocara (9.19%) and Hymenolepis (9.19%). Isospora belli and Trichostongylois were the lowest prevalent (2.29%). Trichuris, Toxoplasma, Entamoeba, Fasciola, Hookworm and Giardia showed less than 5% prevalence. Statistical inquiry indicated a significant relationship (P < 0.05) of parasitic contaminations and raw vegetables. This study infers that raw and unwashed vegetable consumption is an essential route of parasitic infections to humans.
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