Abstract
Introduction: Intestinal parasites are a serious public health problem in Brazil and worldwide, affectingindividuals from several social classes. The fecal-oral route of transmission of these infectionsfacilitates their spread by food. This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of parasitic contaminationsamong restaurant food handlers in the city of Parnaiba, Piaui, also discussing their possible influenceson the transmission of enteroparasites. Methodology: Fecal samples from 251 individuals agedbetween 20 and 59 years were analyzed. Hoffman, Pons & Janer and Willis methods were performedon samples. Structured questionnaires about socio-economic and health aspects of individuals wereapplied. Fisher’s exact and chi-square tests with significance level of 5% were used to identifyassociations between categorical variables. Results: Positive samples for parasites were found in 51%(129 samples). Cases of polyparasitism were also found. Protozoa detected were Entamoeba coli(38%), Endolimax nana (26%), Entamoeba histolytica / E. dispar (17%), Iodamoeba bustchlii (8%).Helminths detected were Ascaris lumbricoides (48%), ancylostomides (19%), Enterobius vermicularis(13%), Strongyloides stercoralis (10%), Hymenolepis nana (6%) and Taenia spp. (4%). Conclusion:A high prevalence (51%) of intestinal parasites was found in restaurant food handlers. Prevalence ofprotozoan infections (74%) was significantly (p<0.05) higher than helminth infections (26%).
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