Parasitological and Bacterial Assessment of Vegetables Commonly Sold at the Bamenda Food Market, North West Region, Cameroon

Background and Objective: Vegetables are very important for the human diet as they provide all the nutrients needed to be healthy. However, they constitute major infectious agents. Thus monitoring of contaminants in vegetables is very crucial for human safety. This study aimed to assess common bacterial and gastrointestinal parasitic contaminants in vegetables and determine the risk factors associated with contamination of these vegetables and provide baseline information for the control of these diseases. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 180 local vegetables sold at the Bamenda food market. A structured questionnaire was administered to vendors and vegetable samples like carrots, cabbage, lettuce, huckleberries, etc., were collected for bacterial and parasitic assessment. Microscopy was done for parasites while culture was done for Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolation. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 25.0. Results: The general prevalence of parasites in vegetables collected from the food market was 53.9%. Entamoeba histolytica(30.6%) was the most prevalent gastrointestinal parasite. The prevalence of contamination of each vegetable ranges from Cabbage 17.19%, Carrots (14.28%), and tomatoes (14.28%). The risk factors associated with vegetable contamination were vegetable types, poor hygiene and sanitation of the vendors, and poor environmental conditions of the Bamenda Food Market. Conclusion: Vegetable samples collected from food market, Bamenda were highly contaminated with both E. coli and gastrointestinal parasites hence consumers are at risk of contracting food-borne illnesses. Proper personal and environmental hygiene should be maintained while handling these vegetables.