Fresh Vegetables and Ready-to-eat Salads: Sources of Parasitic Zoonoses in Mampong-Ashanti, Ghana

Abstract

This study assessed parasitic contamination of fresh vegetables and ready-to-eat salads from Mampong Municipality in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Water and soil samples from various farms were also assessed for possible sources of contamination. Fresh vegetables and ready-to-eat salads were examined for parasites using saline as floatation medium, stained with Lugol’s iodine and Ziehl Neelsen and observed under X40 objective lens. Data gathered were analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Of the 271 fresh vegetables examined, Ascaris lumbricoides recorded the highest prevalence (26.94%), followed by Giardia lamblia (19.93%). However, of the 120 salad samples examined, Giardia lamblia was most prevalent (24.17%), followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (19.17%).  Fasciola spp., Moniezia, Toxocara spp., Trichuris trichiura and Entamoeba histolytica, were other parasites recovered from both fresh vegetables and salads and also from soil and water on the farms. Fresh vegetables and ready-to-eat salads were contaminated with parasites of both human and animal origin, similar to those recovered from soil and water on the farms. Farm soils and water are potential sources of parasitic infestations on vegetables. Consumers of fresh vegetables and ready-to-eat salads are at risk of diarrheal diseases and parasitic zoonoses.