[Presence of intestinal parasites in vegetables sold in the metropolitan area of São Paulo-SP, Brazil. II--Research on intestinal protozoans].
Vegetables in nature, commercially traded in the metropolitan area of S. Paulo, Brazil, were analyzed by means of the appropriate methodology with a view to discovering and identifying protozoan cysts of medical interest. The vegetables under study consisted of 50 samples of each of the varieties listed below: lettuce (Lactuca sativa)-oily leaves and crisp-head varieties, endive (Chicorium sp) and watercress (Nasturtium officinale). Results showed high rates of contamination in all the varieties of vegetable analysed. However, the watercress was the one which presented the highest frequencies of enteroparasites. Both the oily leaves and crisp-head varieties of lettuce presented the lowest rates of contamination, whereas endive presented values ranking, in general, between those of the lettuce and those of the watercress. A great variety of those protozoans which occur frequently in the population resident in the metropolitan area of S. Paulo were observed in the samples, the most frequent being Entamoeba sp (with 4 and 8 nuclei) and Giardia sp. Cysts of Iodamoeba sp, Endolimax sp and Chilomastix sp were also recovered from the samples, thus corroborating the occurrence of high rates of fecal contamination. The significance of these kinds of food in the transmission of protozoans is discussed in the light of the results obtained.
de Oliveira
C A
CA
Secretaria Municipal de Abastecimento de São Paulo, Brasil.
Germano
P M
PM
D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014675:Vegetables
Estudo da ocorrência de enteroparasitas em hortaliças comercializadas na região metropolitana de São Paulo-SP, Brasil. II-Pesquisa de protozoários intestinais.