Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the presence of T. gondii, Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts, and G. duodenalis cysts, in three leafy greens (coriander, lettuce, and parsley) commonly consumed raw. Despite the recognition of the association between the parasitic illnesses and the consumption of contaminated food, there is still a lack of studies investigating the occurrence of parasitic contamination in food matrices.
Methods: A total of 152 leafy green samples were collected in Marrakech from April 2018 to October 2019. Parasites were eluted and concentrated before detection of their DNA by real-time qPCR.
Results: The analysis revealed an overall rate of contamination of 32.2% (49/152), with 29.6% (45/152) positive for T. gondii and 2.6% (4/152) for G. duodenalis, while none was positive for Cryptosporidium spp.
Conclusion: The results showed that humans can be exposed to protozoan parasites through vegetables consumption. Further investigations can be performed to acquire new epidemiological data to assess the public health impact of these protozoan diseases in Morocco.
Keywords: Cryptosporidium spp.; Giardia duodenalis; Leafy greens; Occurrence in Morocco; Real-time qPCR; Toxoplasma gondii.
© 2021. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Witold Stefański Institute of Parasitology, Polish Academy of Sciences.