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Research ArticleOriginal Article
Open Access

The prevalence of parasites in commonly used leafy vegetables in South Western, Saudi Arabia

Ali M. Al-Binali, Cornelius S. Bello, Khalid El-Shewy and Salah E. Abdulla
Saudi Medical Journal May 2006, 27 (5) 613-616;
Ali M. Al-Binali
Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, PO Box 641, Abha. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Tel. +966 (7) 2247800/2315. Fax. +966 (7) 2247570. E-mail: [email protected]
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Cornelius S. Bello
Clinical Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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Khalid El-Shewy
Clinical Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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Salah E. Abdulla
Clinical Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the degree of contamination caused by parasites in commonly used leafy vegetables in Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

METHODS: We carried out the study in the Department of Clinical Microbiology and Parasitology, King Khalid University, Abha, KSA, during the period September 2004 to May 2005. Five commonly used leafy vegetables, namely, green onion, radish, watercress, lettuce and leek, were washed each in water and Tris-buffer-saline (TBS). The washing solution was then centrifuged and the sediments were examined for parasites.

RESULTS: The use of TBS for the extraction, significantly increased the isolation rate (27.2%) of the parasites compared with the use of tap water (7.8%) (z=4.72 p<0.001). The prevalence of the parasites was 28% in green onion, 25% in radish, 17% in watercress, 17% in lettuce, and 13% in leek. The parasites were more common in the months of September to December. Ankylostoma duodenale, Entameba coli, Ascaris lumbricoides and Blastocystis hominis were the most common isolated parasites. We encountered 12 genera of parasites during the study and the least common was iodamoeba butschlii.

CONCLUSION: The study shows that parasites are common in leafy vegetables and the use of tap water does little to remove them. The public health implications of our findings will be communicated to the Aseer regional health authorities for appropriate community health education and other necessary actions.

  • Copyright: © Saudi Medical Journal

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Saudi Medical Journal: 27 (5)
Saudi Medical Journal
Vol. 27, Issue 5
1 May 2006
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The prevalence of parasites in commonly used leafy vegetables in South Western, Saudi Arabia
Ali M. Al-Binali, Cornelius S. Bello, Khalid El-Shewy, Salah E. Abdulla
Saudi Medical Journal May 2006, 27 (5) 613-616;

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The prevalence of parasites in commonly used leafy vegetables in South Western, Saudi Arabia
Ali M. Al-Binali, Cornelius S. Bello, Khalid El-Shewy, Salah E. Abdulla
Saudi Medical Journal May 2006, 27 (5) 613-616;
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© 2025 Saudi Medical Journal Saudi Medical Journal is copyright under the Berne Convention and the International Copyright Convention.  Saudi Medical Journal is an Open Access journal and articles published are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (CC BY-NC). Readers may copy, distribute, and display the work for non-commercial purposes with the proper citation of the original work. Electronic ISSN 1658-3175. Print ISSN 0379-5284.

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