Comparative Study of Parasite Contamination in Daucus Carota and Solanum Melongena from Open Markets in Lokoja Metropolis, Kogi State

Abstract

 Vegetables are good substrates for transmission of intestinal parasites because they are often not properly washed and also consumed raw. Therefore, the study investigated parasitic contamination in Daucus Carota and Solanum Melogena across three major open markets in Lokoja,Nigeria. Therefore, this study investigated the contamination of parasites in vegetables. The two vegetables were selected because they are often consumed raw. A total of 90 samples; 45 of each vegetable were collected from the different markets. 100 grams of each vegetable was taken randomly at each sampling attempt and were washed in 0.9% sodium chloride in a shaker for 15 minutes, followed by sedimentation overnight and centrifugation (2000 rpm for 10min). 10mls of each sediment were examined under a light microscope to detect parasitic stages. The result showed high contamination rates ranging from 80% in Solanum Melogena (garden eggs) and 73% in Carrot (Daucus Carota). Seventeen parasite species were identified, with Hookworm (31.1%) and Ascaris lumbricoides (24.4%) being the most frequently encountered parasites. Vendors practices assessed through questionnaire, revealed poor sanitary conditions, including the use of unclean water and sometimes failure to even wash the vegetables before display to consumers. These findings underscore the role of vegetables in transmitting intestinal parasites and highlight the need for better public health practices because the parasitic stages identified could cause infections among people with poor food hygienic practices.