Contamination of food-borne parasites from green-leafy vegetables sold in public markets of San Jose City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines

Vegetables contribute a significant portion of the typical Filipino diet. Hence, it is a concern that based on previous studies, vegetables could potentially act as vectors for parasitic transmission. This study aimed to further investigate these occurrences by assessing the food-borne parasitic contamination of vegetables sold in the public markets of San Jose City, Nueva Ecija. A total of 288 vegetable samples (cabbage, lettuce and Chinese cabbage) were collected from March to August 2018 in the wet market and supermarkets of San Jose City, Nueva Ecija. Results showed that 116 out of 288 (40.28%) vegetable samples were positive of food-borne parasites such as Ascaris sp., Hymenolepis diminuta , Isospora sp., Hookworm/ Strongylid sp./free-living nematode larvae, Strongylid sp. egg, Taenia sp., and Trichuris sp. Isospora sp. has the highest contamination rate (16.67%) and mean density (13 eggs/g) from the sampled vegetables. Possible sources of these identified parasites are contaminated soil and water harbored by the sampled vegetables during cultivation, transport and handling/preparation by vendors. Further studies are needed to establish a more reliable information that could lead to public health improvement and food safety awareness for the community.