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PLANT-BORNE HUMAN CONTAMINATION BY FASCIOLIASIS

Contamination by fasciolids takes place through ingestion of metacercariae attached to vegetables. Experimental studies were performed with plant-made foods suggesting a role in human contamination in Iran and on the usefulness of potassium permanganate as a preventive tool for killing metacercariae attached to vegetables used in salads in Egypt. In the foods assayed, although viability decreases with time, a high percentage of the metacercariae were still alive 2 and 4 weeks after preparation. Infection of laboratory animals proved that metacercariae kept their infectivity. The 5-minute tests of potassium permanganate effects showed that metacercarial viability was not affected even at the very high doses of 300, 600, and 1,200 mg/L. Careful, subsequent washing of leaves and vegetables with water is therefore needed after its application. A review on similar studies performed with metacercariae belonging to fasciolid and other trematode species affecting humans is included.

Received January 30, 2006. Accepted for publication April 16, 2006.

Acknowledgments: The support by Dr. L. Savioli and Dr. A. Montresor (PVC/CPE, WHO, Geneva) and Dr. Z. Hallaj (CDC, WHO-EMRO, Cairo) is greatly acknowledged for help in facilitating the international collaboration necessary for the research activities developed. The technical assistance by the Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and the help in obtaining fluke eggs in slaughterhouses by the Central Veterinary Office of Gilan Province are also acknowledged. We also thank Dr. Latif Salehi of Gilan University for assistance in verifying the scientific names of local plants, Mohammad Reza Hadiani of Bandar Anzali Health Center, and Miss Roohnavaz, Fariba Hadiani, and Behnaz Rahmati for assistance in this study.

Financial support: The study on Iranian culinary specialties was supported by funding from Gilan University of Medical Sciences in Rasht, Deputy of Research, Contract 5263. Spanish collaboration was funded by Project BOS2002-01978 of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology, Madrid, Project of the Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS) PI030545 of the Spanish Ministry of Health, Madrid, the Red de Investigación de Centros de Enfermedades Tropicales—RICET (Project C03/04 of the Programme of Redes Temáticas de Investigación Cooperativa) of FIS, Spanish Ministry of Health, Madrid, and Project 03/113 of Conselleria de Empresa, Universidad y Ciencia, Valencia, Spain. Six-month stay of the first author in the Valencia Department was funded by Gilan University of Medical Sciences and Iranian Ministry of Health.

^* Address correspondence to Santiago Mas-Coma, Departamento de Parasitologia, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Valencia, Av. Vicent Andres Estelles s/n, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain. E-mail: S.Mas.Coma{at}uv.es

Authors’ addresses: Keyhan Ashrafi, Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Gilan University of Medical Sciences, Gilan University Complex, Rasht-Tehran Road km 7, PO Box 3363, Rasht, Gilan Province, Iran, Telephone: 98-131-5550596, Fax: 98-131-6690007, E-mail: k_fashi{at}yahoo.com. Maria Adela Valero, Patricia Conde, Messaud Khoubbane, Maria Dolores Bargues, and Santiago Mas-Coma, Departamento de Parasitologia, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Valencia, Av. Vicent Andres Estelles s/n, 46100 Burjassot, Valencia, Spain, Telephone: 34-96-3544298, Fax: 34-96-3544769, E-mail: S.Mas.Coma{at}uv.es. Jafar Massoud and Shahram Solaymani-Mohammadi, Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Enghelab Street, PO Box 6446-14155, Tehran, Iran, Telephone: 98-21-88951392, Fax 98-21-66462267, E-mail: massoud{at}yahoo.com. Abdolrasoul Sobhani, Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Gilan University of Medical Sciences, Gilan University Complex, Rasht-Tehran Road km 7, PO Box 3477, Rasht, Gilan Province, Iran, Telephone: 98-131-7723823, Fax: 98-21-66462267, E-mail: s_solaymani{at}yahoo.com.