*[1]Sebaa, S., [2]Baroudi, D., and 1,[3]Hakem, A.
1Laboratory of Exploration and Valorization of Steppic Ecosystems, Faculty SNV, University of Ziane Achour, 17000 Djelfa, Algeria
2National Veterinary School, Issad Abbes Street, El-Alia, Algiers, Algeria
3Research Center in Agro-pastoralism, Moudjbara Road, 17000 Djelfa, Algeria
*Correspondence to: soumiasebaa22@gmail.com
Abstract:
Background: Food-borne diseases are a global public health problem, most especially in developing countries. Food handlers with a low level of personal hygiene may be colonized or infected by a wide range of enteric pathogenic micro-organisms including intestinal parasites and bacteria. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of Salmonella Typhi, Staphylococcus aureus and intestinal parasites among male food handlers in Laghouat province, southern Algeria.
Methodology: In this cross-sectional study, stool samples and fingernail samples of both hands were collected from 155 randomly selected male food handlers. Stool specimens were examined by direct wet mount, formalinether concentration, xenic invitro culture and staining methods for parasitological identification. For bacterial isolation, standard culture media including Hektoen agar, Salmonella-Shigella (SS), Mannitol salt, and Blood agar plates were used. Conventional biochemical tests were used for identification of S. Typhi and S. aureus. Antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) was performed for bacterial isolates by the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Data analysis was done using Minitab version 19 software, and Pearson’s Chi-square test was used to determine association between categorical variables. P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The overall prevalence rate of intestinal parasites among the study subjects was 40% (62/155). Blastocystis spp was the most frequent parasite isolated (16.8%), followed by Giardia intestinalis (8.4%), Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (7.7%), Entamoeba coli (3.2%), Trichomonas intestinalis (2.6%) and Endolimax nana (1.3%). Stool cultures revealed 4 (2.6%) positive samples for S. Typhi, and S. aureus was isolated from fingernail contents of 23 (14.8%) subjects. All S. Typhi isolates were sensitive to imipenem and ciprofloxacin while S. aureus isolates show high sensitivity to pristinamycin. Hand washing with soap, finger nail status and clinical manifestations were significantly associated with intestinal parasitic infections, while clinical manifestation was the only factor associated with S. aureus infection.
Conclusion: The present study indicates a high prevalence of pathogenic micro-organisms among male food handlers which highlight the important role of food handlers in the spread and transmission of foodborne infections, and thus requires more attention.
Keywords: Intestinal parasites, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, food handlers, Laghouat, Algeria
Received Dec 24, 2021; Revised Mar 19, 2022; Accepted Mar 20, 2022
Copyright 2022 AJCEM Open Access. This article is licensed and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attrition 4.0 International License <a rel=”license” href=”//creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/“, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided credit is given to the original author(s) and the source. Editor-in-Chief: Prof. S. S. Taiwo
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