South Asian Journal of Parasitology

Aims: Food handlers play a major role in ensuring food safety. Mishandling and disregard for hygiene measures on their part may result in food contamination and its attendant consequences. This study was aimed to determine the frequency of intestinal parasites among food handlers in Karary locality.

Study Design: This is a descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study.

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in the department of Laboratory medicine during the period from January to July 2013.

Methodology: A total of 1250 food handlers were enrolled in this study. A stool sample was collected from each food handler in a clean universal screw cap bottle in the morning. The feces were examined by the naked eye for their characteristics such as their consistency, color, texture, and also for the presence of larvae or adults of nematodes and/or segments of cestodes. The wet mount was done to identify motile trophozoites, larvae, eggs, and cysts. Modified Ziehl Neelsen staining technique was used to identify Cryptosporidium oocysts.

Results: Our results demonstrate that males represented 74.8% of the total participants, while females were only representing 25.2%. The prevalence was found to be 6.1% among food handlers who participated. Predominated parasitic infestations were reported in; Giardia in 5%, Entamoeba histolytica 0.8%, and 0.3% cryptosporidium respectively. Among total identified parasites, Giardia was found to be the most frequent parasite 81.6%, followed by Entamoeba histolytica 13.3% and Cryptosporidium 5.3% respectively.

Conclusion: There was a low prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in Karary locality food handlers. The rate of infestations reported in males is approximately twice likely as in females. Giardia lamblia was the most common protozoa infection.