Prevalence of Parasitic Intestinal Infections Among Food Handlers in Qazvin, İran

Objective: Food handlers play an important role in the production and distribution of parasitic contaminations in these societies. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among the food handlers in Qazvin, Iran. Methods: Totally, 1530 stool samples were collected from food handlers in Qazvin, Iran. Direct feces examination and formalinethyl acetate concentration method followed by Trichrome staining were performed to detect the parasites. Results: The prevalence of intestinal parasites was 82 (5.4%) among food handlers. The species of protozoan parasites found were Blastocystis hominis, Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba coli, and Endolimax nana. The outbreaks of Blastocystis hominis (2.9%), and Endolimax nana (0.3%) were the most and the least protozoan infections observed among the specimens, respectively. Also, there was no helminthic infection detected among the samples. The prevalence of intestinal parasites among the food handlers, based on variables including sex, age, job, and education, did not differ, whereas the prevalence of intestinal symptoms was shown to be higher in infected food handlers (p<0.05). Conclusions: Despite a decrease in the incidence of intestinal parasites, the protozoan infections are still among the health concerns in these areas. Therefore, continuous monitoring and training of food handlers by local health authorities should be performed on a regular basis.