Abstract
Purpose. To provide scientific information on geohelminth contamination of raw fruits and vegetables in Nigeria required for risk profile evaluation.
Design. Laboratory research. A parasitological analysis of raw fruits and vegetables purchased from major markets.
Materials and methods. Isolation of geohelminth ova from fruits and vegetables using a standard parasitological technique.
Results. Of the 118 helminth ova isolated, 64 (54.2%) were Ascaris lumbicoides, 11 (9.3%) Trichuris trichiura and 43 (36.4%) hookworm. Vegetables were more contaminated than fruits (71.2%, 95% confidence interval 63.0–79.3% vs. 28.8%, 95% confidence interval 20.6–37.0%). Carrot (Daucus carota) was the most contaminated vegetable (31.0%, 95% confidence interval 21.1–40.9%) and the least contaminated was egg plant (Solanum marcrocarpon) (6.0%, 95% confidence interval 0.9–11.1%); differences were statistically significant (F ratio = 4.72, p<0.05). Of the 34 ova isolated from fruits, 30 (88.2%, 95% confidence interval 77.4–99.0%) were from pineapple (Ananas cosmosus).
Conclusions. The results do suggest the existence of a great potential of acquiring enteric helminth infections from ingesting raw produce.