Parasitological Examination of Some Ready to Eat Fruits Sold at Oye Emene Enugu State Nigeria
CHAPTER ONE
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
- To determine the parasite of medical importance in fruit sold at Orie Emene market in Enugu
- To determine whether washing of fruits with untreated water eliminates the parasites of medical importance (pathogenic parasites) from them
- To determine whether fruits are safe to be eaten without washing them as some people
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Parasites are organisms which have adapted themselves in or on another organism which is called a host, and lives at the expenses of the tissue and fluid of the host deriving their nutrient and protection from the host, thereby harming or being of no advantage to the host. (Crew, 1999).
They increase their fitness by exploiting host for food, habitat and dispersal. Parasites may be transmitted from animals to humans, from humans to humans, or from humans to animals. Several parasites have emerged as significant cause of food borne and water borne disease in the whole world.
This is achieved through consumption of contaminated food and water or by eating any raw fruits that has been contaminated with water or food. Parasites are of different types and ranges in size from tiny-single-celled, microscopic organisms (protozoa) to large multi-cellular worms, (helminthes) that may be seen with a microscope.
Some of the parasites are
Giardia lamblia (intestinalis) cryptosporidium parvum, Cyclospora-cayetanesis, Toxoplasma gonadii, and Trichnella Spiralis.
- duodenalis formally called g.Lamblia causes Giardiasis.
It is one celled microsiopic parasites that can live in the intestine of animals and people.
It is found in every region throughout the world and may cause chronic diarrhea, malabsorptoin, weight loss with symptoms for several months. (Hill, 1993). Giardiaisis is mainly acquired by transmission of cysts of G. Intestiinalis via soiled hands, contaminated with faeces (pentersen, 1988). Consumers get this disease by consuming food or water – contaminated with G. duodenalis cysts (infective stage of the organism) and by putting anything into the mouth that has touched the stool of a person or animal with giardiasis. This occur usually 1-2 weeks after ingestion of G. duodenalis cysts, which is the environmental survival form and infecting stages of the organism but may last for 4 to 6 weeks in healthy person.
CHAPTER THREE
MATERIALS AND METHOD
The reagent used in this work includes zine sulphate solution, iodine solution, eosine solution, normal saline and deionized water.
SAMPLE COLLECTION
Samples of banana, garden eggs, guava etc were purchased from their dealers at Oye Emene, Enugu. The samples of each were purchased from different sellers at different locations in the market.
Plastic buckets with cover sterilized by dusting with cotton wool dipped in 75% ethanol were used to receive the samples from the sellers and taken to the laboratory for analysis.
PARASITOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE FRUITS
Each of the fruit samples (1g) was put into a small plastic bucket containing 50ml of normal saline (0.85g sodium chloride salt in 100ml of water).
The fruits were shacked well to ensure that as much material in the surface of the fruits as possible were discharge into the normal saline.
Examination for protozoa parasites, the sedimentation and concentration method was used with the aid of a centrifuge (World Health Organization [WHO], 1991, Ramink, 2006).
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS
Pathogenic parasites were isolated in some of the fruit samples examined. The parasitic protozoa isolated are shown in table two. Ascaris egg was isolated from some of the fruits types examined while cyst of Amoeba was isolated only in garden egg.
Three (3) cysts of Amoeba were seen in garden egg. Six (6) eggs of worms were seen in guava.
Four (4) eggs of worms were seen in banana
No egg, cysts or ova/larva of worms was seen in apple, carrot, pineapple, pawpaw and pears.
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Microorganisms were isolated from some of the fruit samples examined. The isolation of intestinal parasitic protozoa from some of the fruits tends to suggest that fruits are possible sources of transmission of food borne diseases in man; their presence in those fruits may be associated with the water used in washing the fruits by their sellers. The presence of these parasites in the fruits may not be surprising when the water the sellers use in washing and sprinkled on the fruits are considered.
Guava and garden eggs tend to show the presence of isolates more than banana. This may be because the bananas as the other fruits were not sprinkled with contaminated water. It is known that faecal matters of animals and human begins harbour some of the protozoa/parasites isolated and the faecal matters are often used as manure for the cultivation of fruits.
It is therefore possible that some of protozoa, parasite isolates especially those on he garden eggs are contaminants from the field.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, irrigation farming and use of night soil for agricultural purposes in some parts of Enugu State may lead to parasitic contamination of fruits more especially with protozoan.
The control measures includes treatment of irrigation waters before using for agricultural purposes, provision of goods sanitary system in both the urban and rural areas to prevent contamination of soil and water with parasite from poor deposition of feaces, covering of foods and water to prevent contamination from flies which act as cysts carriers, use of appropriate disinfectant to wash fruits before eating and mass education of people on dangers involved in eating unwashed and contaminated fruits.
REFERENCES
- Ayer, R.M Scott, R; Lee, D. D., S. A. (1992). Contamination of Lettuce with Vegetable by Spray Irrigation with untreated waste In: water science and technology. Elsevier Science publishers B.V.Amsterdam Pp 1615-1623.
- Barwick, R. S., Uzicamin, A., Lareau, S., Makkmadze, N., Imnadze, P., Losasava, M, Nina Shvili, Wison, N, Hightower, A. W, Johnston, S, Bishop, A, Peti,
- A. Jr., and Juranek, D.D. (2002)outbreak tiasis in Tbilefi, Republic of Georgia, [1998].Americann Journal of Tropical Meditty 20(67):623-631
- Beuchat, C.R. (1995). Pathogenic Microorganisms Associated with Fresh Produce.
- Journal of Food Protection 59 (6):204-216
- Bracket, (1992), shelf Stability and Safety or Fresh Produce as Influenced by Sanitation and Disinfection. Journal of Food Protection 10(55): 808-814.
- Cabelli, V. J., Levin, A.P. Dufour, L. J. Mo Cabe. (1989). The recreational Wate. rCambridge University press Pp 63-73
- Graczyk, T. K. Grimes, B. G. H, Knight, R., Da Silva, A J., and Veal, D.A (2003). Detection of Cryptosporidium Parvum and Giardia Lamblia Carried by Synanthropic Flies by Combined Fluorescent in Situ Hybridization and Monoclonal Antibody.American Journal of Tropical Megditty. 68 228-232.
- Han, E. T., GUK, S. M. Kim, J. L. Jeong, H. I., S. N and Chai, J. Y. (2003).Detection of Parasite Eggs From Archeological Excavation in TheRepublic of Korea. International journal of Environmental Microbiology 98(30): 123-126.
