Vegetables in natura , commercially traded in the metropolitan area of S.Paulo, Brazil, were analised by means of the appropriate methodology with a view to discovering and identifying protozoan cysts of medical interest. The vegetables under study consisted of 50 samples of each of the variaties listed bel ow: lettuce (Lactuca sativa) - oily leaves and crisphead varieties, endive (Chicorium sp) and water-cress (Nasturtium officinale). Results showed high rates of contamination in all the varieties of vegetable analysed. However, the water-cress was the one which presented the highest frequencies of enteroparasites. Both the oily leafes and crisphead varieties of lettuce presented the lowest rates of contamination, whereas endive presented values ranking, in general, between those of the lettuce and those of the water-cresses. A great variety of those protozoans which occur frequently in the population resident in the metropolitan area of S. Paulo were observed in the samples, the most frequent being Entamoeba sp (with 4 and 8 nuclei) and Giardia sp. Cysts of Iodamoeba sp, Endolimax sp and Chilomastix sp were also recovered from the samples, thus corroborating the occurrence of high rates of fecal contamination. The significance of these kinds of food in the transmission of protozoans is discussed in the light of the results obtained.
Vegetable; Protozoan; Food contamination