Assessment of Parasitic Contamination in Selected Ready-To-Eat Fruits on Sale at Ughelli Center Market, Delta State, Nigeria

The aim of this research is to assess various locally available fruits (garden egg, orange, banana, guava, pear, pawpaw, water melon, apple and pineapple) sold in Ughelli Centre Market, Delta State. These fruits were tested for parasitological contamination. A total of 87 samples were analyzed using sedimentation and concentration techniques. Out of the 87 fruits, 15 (12.6%) tested positive for intestinal parasites under microscopic examination. Among these, guava had the highest count of intestinal parasites at 6 (35.3%) positive, while banana had the lowest with 2 (8%). The parasites identified included ova of Ascaris lumbricoides at 8 (9.2%), cysts of Amoeba at 3 (10%), and yeast cells were observed on pineapple and watermelon. There was no significant difference between the two methods employed. The findings of this study indicate a notable level of fruit contamination with pathogenic parasites from various sources in Ughelli Centre Market, Delta State. These results imply a considerable risk of contracting intestinal parasites from consuming inadequately washed fruits from the Ughelli central market.