Análise parasitológica de hortaliças comercializadas no município de Passo Fundo - RS

Abstract

The disorderly processes of urbanization associated with precarious sanitary conditions benefit the dissemination of pathogens in water sources and soil. The indiscriminate use of contaminated water for irrigating vegetables, their cultivation in contaminated soil or the presence of inadequate hygiene conditions when handling food along the production chain result in risks to public health, given the existence of diseases linked to consumption of food contaminated by parasites. The present study evaluated the presence of parasites in common curly lettuce (Lactuca sativa) sold by farmers or local markets located in Passo Fundo – Rio Grande do Sul state and compared contamination percentages between different regions of the city, according to the level of assessment of property and urban land tax (IPTU). 130 samples of lettuce from 65 commercial establishments were analyzed using the spontaneous sedimentation method. Parasitic forms were found in 78.4% of the samples, with prevalence of Balantidium coli (66.9%), Strongyloides stercoralis (27.7%), Ascaris lumbricoides (23.1%) and Taenia sp. (16.9%), with, in general, no significant difference in the percentages of contamination regarding the type of establishment or its location, even considering the different valuations. The results point to contamination rates similar to those found in studies carried out in other regions of the country, reinforcing the importance of cleaning the vegetables before consumption. In addition, it indicates that such contamination is independent of the economic value of properties in the neighborhoods, refuting any general sense that more wealthy regions of the city are less exposed to this type of contamination.