Parasitic Contamination of Fresh Vegetables in Open Air Markets of Aksum, Ethiopia

Abstract Background: Intestinal parasitic diseases are the foremost causes of illness in humans, responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. Recently, there have been so many reports related to a foodborne illness linked to consuming fresh vegetables, especially in developing countries. The study was aimed to assess the parasitic contamination level of fresh vegetables collected from open air markets in Aksum town, Tigray region, Ethiopia.Method: A total of 384 samples belonging to six vegetable types were collected randomly from local markets in Aksum town. Samples were washed in saline solution followed by sedimentation for 24 hours.After that the supernatant was decanted leaving the sediment. The sediment was then transferred to a centrifuge tube and centrifuged at 3000 revolution per minute for 5minutes. Finally, the supernatant was decanted and the sediment was examined under light microscope for protozoan cyst, helminthes ova, and larvaeResults: The overall prevalence of parasitic contamination was 57.3%. The Cabbage was the most frequently contaminated (79.7%) vegetable succeeded by Spinach (75%), Lettuce (73.4%), Potato (46.9%), Green pepper (37.5%), and tomato (31.2%). Among the parasites detected, Taenia spp. proglottides/egg was the most frequent contaminant with 41.1% prevalence rate followed by Enetrobius vermicularis egg (20.3%), Hookworm spp.(19.5%), Fasciola spp. egg (17.2%), Giardia lamblia cyst (18.5%), Entamoeba spp. cyst(15.9%), Strongyloides stercoralis larva (12.5%),Ascarislumbricoidese gg (9.4%), and Cryptosporidium spp.Chai-square analysis showed that the type of fertilizer used, educational status of the vendors, status of wash before display, and type of vegetable they produce was statistically and significantly associated with the prevalent parasite forms detected (P < 0.001).Conclusion: This study identified a high prevalence of fresh vegetables contaminated with medically important parasites, thus effective prevention measures such as standard washing before consuming fresh vegetables, and avoiding raw manure as a fertilizer should be implemented to avoid infection from contaminated vegetables.