Prevalence of enteroparasites in vegetables marketed in the municipality of Conceição da Barra, Espírito Santo, Brazil

To monitor the frequency of enteroparasites in lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and parsley (Petrosolium sativum) samples, marketed in commercial buildings in the municipality of Conceição da Barra, Espírito Santo, Brazil. Between August 2015 and July 2016, four different popular commercial buildings (fairs, markets and supermarkets) were selected as the largest vegetable suppliers in the municipality of Conceição da Barra, Espírito Santo. A total of 40 samples were analyzed using the modified spontaneous sedimentation method at the Laboratory of Parasitology and Hematology of Centro Universitário Norte do Espirito Santo, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo. The most frequent organism in the study population were the commensal Entamoeba coli and the parasites E. histolytica/E.dispar, hookworm, Balantidium coli, Ascaris sp., Toxocara sp., Taenia sp. and Dipylidium sp. The results indicate a high degree of contamination of the vegetables, probably related to the precariousness of production, transportation and handling, making it necessary to adopt measures that guarantee the best quality of food and, consequently, better population health.