Frequency of intestinal parasites among food-handlers in Khartoum, Sudan

ABSTRACT

Food-handlers [n = 1500] attending the public health laboratory in Khartoum, Sudan, for annual check-ups were screened for intestinal parasites by 3 different techniques [direct faecal examination, formol-ether concentration and floatation] to evaluate the adequacy of annual screening. Results showed that 29.4% of food-handlers were harbouring intestinal protozoa in stool samples Entamoeba coli in 15.3%, Giardia lamblia in 9.7%, and Enta. histolytica in 4.3%. Moreover, 2.7% of food-handlers harboured intestinal helminths Hymenolepis nana [1.6%], Schistosoma mansoni [0.7%], Taenia saginata [0.3%] and Strongyloides stercoralis [0.1%]. We recommend more frequent screening of food-handlers and that the direct faecal smear technique is efficient for the detection of such parasites