Determination of Parasitic Contamination in Vegetables Collected from Local Markets in İzmir Province, Türkiye

OBJECTIVE

Fresh vegetables are an important part of a healthy and nutrient-rich diet but the consumption of raw vegetables without proper washing is the main way for transmission of parasites. This study was aimed at determining the rate of parasitic contamination in prewashed fresh vegetables sold at randomly selected 10 retail markets which is the last step to reach the consumer in İzmir, Türkiye.

METHODS

A total of 80 samples selected from eight types of vegetables including tomato, spinach, lettuce, rocket, mint, parsley, dill, and cucumber were examined for parasitic agents microscopically by sedimentation method after washing samples with normal saline. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software version 20.0.

RESULTS

Protozoan cysts, helminth eggs, and larvae were detected in 21 (26.2%) of 80 samples from eight different vegetable species. Rhabditidiform larvae 18.7%, Blastocystis spp. 5%, Toxocara spp. 2.5%; Ascaris spp., Fasciola spp., Entamoeba histolytica/ Entamoeba dispar and hooked worms were found in 1.2%. Spinach and mint samples were contaminated with parasites significantly more than other fresh vegetable samples (p<0.008, odds ratio =80.0; p<0.017, odds ratio =46.6 respectively). Cruznema spp., a plant nematode, was found at the highest rate according to the results of culture, polymerase chain reaction and sequencing, respectively.

CONCLUSION

In this study, the parasitic contamination was found in approximately one of the four vegetables sold in randomly selected markets in İzmir. These findings show that vegetables sold in local markets can cause parasitic infections if they are consumed without adequate washing and awareness should be raised on this issue. In addition, it was concluded that morphological examinations should be confirmed by molecular studies and sequencing as much as possible in order to avoid misdiagnosis of rhabditidiform larvae.

External Ophthalmomiasis Cases in Şırnak

Dermatological cases caused by myiasis make up approximately 20% of travel diseases. Ocular involvement occurred in approximately 5% of these myiasis cases. The conjunctival involvement of Oestrus ovis (O. ovis) larvae, which is the active agent in most ocular infestation cases in humans, causes external ophthalmomyiasis. External ophthalmomyiasis was diagnosed because of O. ovis first-stage larvae that were removed from the conjunctiva of three patients who applied to the Şırnak State Hospital Eye Clinic with complaints of foreign body sensation, burning, stinging, watering, and redness in the eyes and swelling of the eyelids in July and October. All symptoms of the patients disappeared within a few days after the removal of the larvae. Ophthalmomyiasis due to O. ovis must be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with similar eye complaints in areas where sheep and goat husbandry is performed intensely.

[Investigation of the Anti-Leishmanial Effects of Prangos ferulacea and Ferula orientalis Extracts Collected from Şırnak Province Against Leishmania tropica Isolated in Turkey]

Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease that is caused by the protozoa of Leishmania genus. Leishmaniasis is endemic in tropical, subtropical, and large areas of the Mediterranean basin, and covers a total of 98 countries worldwide. It is estimated, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) data, that approximately 350 million people are at risk in these areas, and approximately 12 million people are infected. Increased drug resistance has been documented lately, in the treatment of leishmaniasis which causes almost 1.2 million new cases annually. Thus, interest in plant-derived active substances has increased in recent years, and new anti-leishmanial agents are investigated with in vitro studies. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-leishmanial effects of Prangos ferulacea and Ferula orientalis plant extracts collected from the rural areas of Şırnak province against Leishmania tropica. The water, chloroform, and ethanol extracts of the roots, stems, and fruits of P.ferulaceae and F.orientalis plants were obtained, and the cytotoxic activity tests of the extracts were performed. L.tropica isolate obtained from the Parasite Bank in Manisa Celal Bayar University in Turkey (MHOM/TR/2012/CBCL-LT) was grown on NNN and RPMI 1640 broth medium. The cytotoxicity of each extract on the L.tropica isolate was evaluated with the XTT test. Amphotericin B (AmpB) was used as the positive control, and the IC50 values were determined. The lowest IC50 values of the plant extracts were found to be as follows: P.ferulaceae root chloroform extract 36 µg/ml and fruit chloroform extract 20 µg/ml, F.orientalis root ethanol extract 2.5 µg/ml, and fruit ethanol extract 48 µg/ml, stem chloroform extract 24 µg/ml, and fruit chloroform extract 3.1 µg/ml. It was also determined in our study that only P.ferulaceae root ethanol extract showed cytotoxic activity on the WI-38 fetal lung fibroblast cell line at 65.19 µg/ml at 72 hours. This is the first study that assessed the anti-leishmanial activities of P.ferulaceae and F.orientalis plants that grow in high altitude areas of our country. It was determined that P.ferulaceae root ethanol extract and fruit chloroform extract had the lowest IC50 values among the 18 plant extracts that we examined for their anti-leishmanial activities. The outcomes of this study will be useful in further studies for the determination of active compounds in P.ferulaceae and F.orientalis plant extracts.