Presence of Cryptosporidium Parvum in Pre-washed Vegetables from Different Supermarkets in South East England: A Pilot Study

Overview

Journal Parasitol Res

Specialty Parasitology

Date 2024 May 31

PMID 38822199

Authors

Aisha Jamo Suleiman

Daphne E Mavrides

Sadiya Maxamhud

Eleni Gentekaki

Anastasios D Tsaousis

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Cryptosporidium is an important water-borne and food-borne parasite with a high burden of disease. This organism has been shown to contaminate various leafy vegetables; however, studies assessing the presence of Cryptosporidium spp in pre-washed and ready-to-eat vegetables are limited. Routine surveillance in the UK revealed a nationwide exceedance of human cases of Cryptosporidium. Therefore, this study aims to assess the presence of this parasite in pre-washed vegetables from supermarkets in the UK. A total of 36 samples were purchased from four different supermarkets. A nested PCR targeting the SSU rRNA was carried out on 24 samples, 58% were PCR-positive for Cryptosporidium. Sanger sequencing confirmed that, of these sequences, 4/24 (17%) produced significant similarities to Cryptosporidium parvum. This study provides evidence for the presence of C. parvum in pre-washed and ready-to-eat vegetables. Future work to identify the point of contamination is required.

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