Soil Transmitted Parasites in Fruits and Vegetables Planted in Landscape Management Nursery, College of Agriculture Sciences, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Implication to Public Health

Abstract

The parasitological examination of soil samples extracted from the roots of pre-nursery crops of fruits and vegetables for the prevalence of soil transmitted helminths was conducted using sedimentation and centrifugation techniques respectively. The study revealed that soil transmitted parasites where implicated in their full developmental stages of adultworms and eggs. These include Capillaria, Strongyloides stercoralis, Trichuris trichuria, Hookworms, and Ascaris lumbricoides. Their presence could be as a result of using animal dungs/feaces, direct urination and open defeacation on the nursery sites by students, staff, and others thus contaminating the nursery and posing health problems to students and farm workers in the campus. However, infected students could be treated with antihelminthics while avoidance of the use of animal dungs/feaces and urination will reduce the parasite presence. Students infection, can be achieved through public health awareness scheme and provision of toilet facilities to the students and staff.

Keywords: Parasites, Soil, Fruits, Vegetables, EBSU.