Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor City, Ethiopia.
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia.
BMC Infect Dis. 2024 Oct 12;24(1):1146. doi: 10.1186/s12879-024-10034-7.
There is a growing concern regarding food safety, with the potential presence of parasitic pathogens in raw produce globally. Contaminated fruits and vegetables can be sources of various parasitic infections imposing significant health consequences for general population, particularly, vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, young children, and immunocompromised individuals. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis is to systematically assess and synthesize the available evidence on the magnitude of parasitic contamination in raw fruits and vegetables obtained from local markets in Ethiopia.
Thoroughly search of published and unpublished studies was conducted in the databases of MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar, CINAHL, Cochrane library and Science Direct. PRISMA checklist was strictly followed to select potential studies. Microsoft Excel 2016 sheet template was employed to extract the data. Quality of included studies was assessed by using the Newcastle - Ottawa Scale. STATA software version 14.0 was used to compute the estimated pooled prevalence. Heterogeneity among included studies was assessed using percentage of variance (I) and P-value.
Thirteen studies with a total sample size of 3769 fruits and vegetables were included. The pooled prevalence of parasitic contamination in raw fruits and vegetables with at least one parasite in Ethiopia is 43.38% (95% CI: [36.64, 50.12]). The highest pooled prevalence of contamination with at least one parasite is reported from Oromia region, 51.95% (95% CI: [40.53, 63.37]). The most prevalent parasite is strongyloides stercoralis, followed by Toxocara spp., G. lamblia and A. lumbricoides. The most contaminated vegetables with at least one parasites is spinach followed by cabbage and lettuce. Banana has emerged to be the most frequently contaminated fruit with a contamination prevalence of 38.34% (95% CI: [1.84, 56.83]). Being unwashed fruits and vegetables, placement of the products and literacy status of the sellers are significantly associated with the occurrence of parasitic contamination.
The result of this study showed that contamination of raw fruits and vegetables with clinical important parasites is high. Therefore, adequate public awareness on hygienic harvest, storage, placement and consumption shall be created in order to mitigate such a significant public health concern.
食品安全问题日益受到关注，全球范围内的生食中可能存在寄生虫病原体。受污染的水果和蔬菜可能成为各种寄生虫感染的源头，对一般人群，尤其是孕妇、幼儿和免疫功能低下者等弱势群体造成严重健康后果。因此，本项荟萃分析旨在系统评估和综合评估埃塞俄比亚当地市场中生食水果和蔬菜中寄生虫污染的现有证据。
在 MEDLINE/PubMed、EMBASE、Google Scholar、CINAHL、Cochrane 图书馆和 Science Direct 数据库中全面检索已发表和未发表的研究。严格遵循 PRISMA 清单选择潜在的研究。使用 Microsoft Excel 2016 工作表模板提取数据。使用纽卡斯尔-渥太华量表评估纳入研究的质量。使用 STATA 软件版本 14.0 计算估计的汇总患病率。使用方差百分比（I）和 P 值评估纳入研究之间的异质性。
共纳入 13 项研究，总样本量为 3769 份水果和蔬菜。埃塞俄比亚生食中至少有一种寄生虫的寄生虫污染总患病率为 43.38%（95%CI：[36.64, 50.12]）。报道寄生虫污染率最高的是奥罗米亚地区，为 51.95%（95%CI：[40.53, 63.37]）。最常见的寄生虫是旋毛虫，其次是蛔虫、贾第虫和鞭虫。污染率最高的蔬菜是菠菜，其次是白菜和生菜。香蕉是最常被污染的水果，污染率为 38.34%（95%CI：[1.84, 56.83]）。生水果和蔬菜未经清洗、产品放置方式和销售商的文化程度与寄生虫污染的发生显著相关。
本研究结果表明，生食水果和蔬菜中临床重要寄生虫的污染率很高。因此，应当提高公众对卫生收获、储存、放置和消费的认识，以减轻这一重大公共卫生问题。
