Communicating the Parasitic Contaminants in Readily Consumed Fruits Sold in Abeokuta, Ogun State Nigeria and its Public Health Implications

Fruits are of great importance for an adequate and balanced human diet but if consumed when contaminated can cause food borne diseases. The study aimed to determine the parasitic contamination of the fruit samples sold in Abeokuta, Ogun state, Nigeria. One hundred and twenty (120), twenty (20) each of African star apple (Chrysophyllum albidum), Apple (Malus domestica), Banana (Musa acuminate), Tangerine, (Citrus tangerina), Sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum) and Orange (Citrus sinensis) were purchased from vendors. Normal saline washings from whole samples were processed using standard parasitological techniques and examined microscopically. Ten (10) parasitic contaminants were observed from the examined fruits, and Eighty-three (69.2%) of one hundred and twenty (120) examined fruits were contaminated with at least one parasitic contaminant. The most observed parasitic contaminants were Ascaris lumbricoides (58.8%) while the lowest were Microsporidia sp. and Trichinella spiralis (1%) respectively. The majority of the fruit has a single contaminant (64.7%). The highest contamination was recorded in Tangerine (85%) while the lowest was in Apple and Orange (55%) respectively. The parasitic prevalence and degree of contamination were not significant within the fruits (χ2 =7.698, p>0.05) and (χ2 =8.633, p>0.05) respectively while parasitic intensity was significant (χ2 =67.81, p<0.05). The majority (80%) of the observed contaminants are of significant public health importance. Therefore, there is a need to encourage proper washing of fresh and raw fruits and also educate the people along the production chain on how to improve hygiene practices and handling of fruits in other to meet the sustainable development goal (SDG3)