Foodborne Giardiasis: Is There Any Relationship Between food Handlers and Transmission of Giardia duodenalis?

Abstract

Background: The foodborne diseases are amongst the main causes of morbidity and mortality in the human communities. Giardia duodenalis, the causative agent of giardiasis, is one of the foodborne parasites, which has public health importance. The aim of the current study was to assess the prevalence of G. duodenalis among food handlers in Andimeshk County, southwest of Iran.

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was undertaken among 480 food handlers in 2015. The collected stool specimens were investigated using direct saline smear, Lugol's iodine- staining, and sucrose flotation methods.

Results: The overall prevalence of G. duodenalis in the examined participants was 12 (2.5%). The higher prevalence 75% (9/12) was found among participants with medium and low levels of education and 25% (3/12) belonged to those with high level of education. Direct microscopic examinations revealed two (0.4%) positive cases infected with Hymenolepis nana, with one of them showing mixed infection with G. duodenalis.

Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, infected food handlers could be a potential source of intestinal parasitic infections, and transmission can occur through contaminated food. Therefore, we suggest that food handlers training programs should be implemented to increase the awareness of food handlers and reduce the transmission of intestinal parasites.

Keywords: Foodborne diseases; Giardia duodenalis; Hymenolepis nana; Iran; giardiasis; parasites.