Microscopy-Detected Enteric Parasite-Compatible Stages and Arthropod Contaminants in Ready-to-Eat Salads in Sylhet City Corporation, Bangladesh.

Authors

Umama Lubna, S M Sertaz Islam, Bijoy Banik, Kazi Mehetazul Islam, Saiful Islam

Published in

Journal of parasitology research. Volume 2026. Pages 8294177. Epub Nov 06, 2026.

Abstract

Parasitic stages can exist in ready-to-eat salads. This cross-sectional study was aimed at examining the ready-to-eat salad samples from 10 commercial salad areas of Sylhet City Corporation, Sylhet city between October 2025 and April 2026. A total of 100 samples were obtained from street food vendors, mid-range restaurants and fine dining restaurants. Diagnosis was made on direct wet mount method, examination of iodine-stained cells and modified formalin-ether sedimentation, respectively. Overall, 26 samples (26.0%; 95% CI: 17.7%-35.7%) contained at least one classifiable finding. Enteric parasite compatible stages were found in 14 (14.0%) samples, which include five Balantioides coli cysts, three E. histolytica/dispar/moshkovskii-complex, one Giardia sp. cyst, one trematode egg, and one Ascaris sp. stage. No cases of nonenteric arthropod contamination (mites) were detected in any of the 13 samples (13%; 95% CI: 7.1%-21.2%) recorded separately. The results indicated that RTE salads can have microscopic contaminants, though they did not document the viability or pathogenicity or the risk of infection. A detailed morphological identification and adequate number of fine-dining subgroups should be taken into consideration for further investigation.

PMID:
42999760
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 08 Nov 2026.

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