Contamination of commonly consumed vegetables with parasitic protozoan and helminth eggs from selected local markets in Metro Manila, Philippines

• Main Author: Dulatre, Megan Margery A.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2018
• Subjects: Food consumption > Philippines (Metro Manila); Food contamination > Philippines (Metro Manila); Vegetables > Philippines (Metro Manila); Tropical vegetables > Philippines (Metro Manila); Tropical crops > Philippines (Metro Manila); Parasit > Food > Philippines (Metro Manila); Agriculture
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/3017
• Institution: De La Salle University

Fresh vegetables are important part of a healthy diet. The consumption of vegetables can serve as vehicles for transmitting enteric parasitic organisms which leads to food-borne diseases. This study isolated, identified, and characterized parasitic eggs based on morphological characteristics, and compared the prevalence of parasites among four commonly consumed vegetables namely pechay, lettuce, wombok, mustasa. A total of 112 vegetable samples from seven public markets in Metro Manila were soaked in physiological saline and then examined using the sedimentation method. The prevalence of parasitic eggs was recorded at 53.57%. Among the 4 vegetable samples assessed, Pechay showed the highest prevalence with 67.86%. Out of the 112 samples examined, 60 were contaminated with at least one type of parasite. Balantidium coli (25.89%), Entamoeba coli (16.96%), and Ascaris lumbricoides (16.96%) were the most frequently detected parasite. Contamination of vegetables with parasites sold in retail markets in Metro Manila may pose a health risk to consumers. The local health authorities should educate the public on the health hazard of fresh vegetables and the importance of washing and disinfecting them before consumption.