PREVALENCE OF PARASITIC CONTAMINATION OF RAW VEGETABLES IN AHAR IRAN
It is well known that foodborne infections can be transmitted to humans via vegetable consumption. The study reported here aimed to determine the prevalence of parasitic contamination on raw vegetables sourced from market region of the Ahar sity of Iran. The vegetables examined in this work included lettuce, carrots, spinach, tomatoes, parsley, green pepper, leek and radish. For each vegetable type, 10 samples were collected and resulting in 80 samples used in subsequent analysis. These samples were analyzed by a concentration method and examined by light microscopy. Intestinal parasites were detected in 30% of the examined samples. The parasites included Ascaris lumbricoides eggs, Hymenolepis nana eggs, Giardia spp. cysts, Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts, Entamoeba coli spp. Entamoeba histolyca spp. The contamination of vegetables with infective ova emphasizes the need for adequate preventative measures that can assist in avoiding the transmission of diseases.