ESTUDO DA OCORRÊNCIA DE PARASITOS INTESTINAIS EM VERDURAS COMERCIALIZADAS EM HORTAS NO MUNICÍPIO DE CAMPO GRANDE/MS

Abstract

Parasitic infections occur due to the transmission of parasitic structures through contaminated water and food, in addition to poor hygiene practices. Vegetables sold at street markets or even sold in urban gardens can pose a risk to public health, because they are consumed in their natural state and may eventually be contaminated with protozoan cysts, eggs and/or larvae of intestinal helminths. To evaluate the presence of these enteroparasites in vegetables commercially available in gardens, samples of crisp lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and arugula (Eruca vesicaria sativa) purchased in the southern region of Campo Grande - MS, urban subregions of Anhanduizinho and Bandeira were analyzed. The samples were processed and evaluated by spontaneous sedimentation and optical microscopy from August to November 2021. The presence of parasitic structures was observed in four samples, including oocysts of Cystoisospora sp., cysts of Balantidium sp. and Entamoeba sp., and larvae of Strongyloides sp. It was concluded that among the vegetable gardens in this region, there may be contamination of irrigation water or soil with fecal material from livestock or transient animals, leading to the transmission of intestinal parasites by these vegetables.