Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Oct 30;11(1):775.
doi: 10.1186/s13104-018-3889-1.

Bacterial contamination of vegetables sold in Arba Minch Town, Southern Ethiopia

Getaneh Alemu  1 , Mohammedaman Mama  2 , Munira Siraj  3
Affiliations

Bacterial contamination of vegetables sold in Arba Minch Town, Southern Ethiopia

Getaneh Alemu et al. BMC Res Notes. .

Abstract

Objective: Unhygienically handled fruits and vegetables which are usually consumed in raw serve to transmit various infectious diseases. Bacteria are among the common vegetable contaminants. However, the species of contaminants and rate of contamination depends on various environmental and human factors. Hence, a cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the level of bacterial contamination and associated factors among vegetables marketed in Arba Minch town from January to March, 2018. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data regarding factors associated with bacterial contamination of vegetables. Selected vegetables were purchased and processed for examination of bacterial contamination by standard culture technique following standard protocols. All data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0.

Results: A total of 347 vegetable samples were examined, of which 169 (48.7%) were positive for bacteria contamination. Cabbage (71.9%) was the most frequently contaminated vegetable. E. coli (31.4%) was the most frequent contaminant detected. Type of vegetables (p = 0.000) and market place (p = 0.039) show significant association with bacterial contamination. Bacterial contamination rate in the present study was significantly considerable. Therefore we recommend for the local health office to continuously monitor the contamination status of raw edible vegetables and take respective measures.

Keywords: Bacteria; Contamination; Vegetables.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Okyay P, Ertug S, Gultekin B, Onen O, Beser E. Intestinal parasites prevalence and related factors in school children, a western city sample-Turkey. BMC Public Health. 2004;4:64. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-4-64. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nazemi S, Raei M, Amiri M, Chaman R. Parasitic contamination of raw vegetables in Shahroud, Semnan. Zahedan J Res Med Sci. 2012;14(8):84–86.
    1. Ebrahimzadeh A, Jamshidi A, Mohammadi S. The parasitic contamination of raw vegetables consumed in Zahedan, Iran. Health Scope. 2013;1(4):205–209. doi: 10.17795/jhealthscope-8209. - DOI
    1. Duedu K, Yarnie E, Tetteh-Quarcoo P, Attah S, Donkor E, Ayeh-Kumi PA. Comparative survey of the prevalence of human parasites found in fresh vegetables sold in supermarkets and open-aired markets in Accra, Ghana. BMC Res Notes. 2014;7:836. doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-7-836. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wegayehu T, Tsalla T, Seifu B, Teklu T. Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among highland and lowland dwellers in Gamo area, South Ethiopia. BMC Public Health. 2013;13:151. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-151. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms