Foi realizado um levantamento sobre a prevalência e intensidade de infecção de endoparasitos em cobaias convencionais de linhagem Short Hair provenientes de biotérios de criação (A) e experimentação (B) do município do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, avaliando-se a eficácia das medidas de prevenção entre eles. Para a realização do estudo, utilizou-se exame direto de mucosa e do conteúdo intestinal, a técnica de tricromo de WHEATLEY e exames coproparasitológicos pelas técnicas de Ritchie e Kinyoun. Os parasitos encontrados através da técnica de exame direto da mucosa e do conteúdo intestinal e de tricromo de WHEATLEY com as respectivas prevalências foram: Balantidium sp. (78%), Cyathodinium sp. (68%), Eimeria caviae (38%), Paraspidodera uncinata (34%) e Giardia muris (24%). Nos exames de fezes realizados pelas técnicas de Ritchie e Kinyoun, foram encontrados os seguintes parasitos com as respectivas prevalências no biotério A: E. caviae (74%), Balantidium sp. (68%), Cyathodinium sp. (68%) e Cryptosporidium sp. (5%). No biotério B, observou-se: E. caviae (58%), Balantidium sp. (42%), Cyathodinium sp. (25%) e G. muris (8%). A alta prevalência de endoparasitos nos biotérios sugere a necessidade de se rever a eficácia das barreiras sanitárias adotadas.

The Brazilian “National School Lunch Program” (PNAE) must provide healthy food for students in public  primary education. Thus, it is necessary to ensure both nutritional and parasitological quality, reducing health risks. Vegetables must be clean, presenting no parasites and larvae, according to Brazilian legislation. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is one of the favorite vegetables among students, and is eaten raw in salads. This paper aims to evaluate the parasitological quality of lettuce served in school lunches. 72 samples of leaf lettuce, 36 fromconventional agriculture (CA) and 36 from family agriculture (FA), were analyzed. Half the samples in each group were sanitized by immersion in a sodium hypochlorite solution, with 2% active stabilized chlorine for 10 minutes (n=18/each) and half were not sanitized (n=18/each). Parasite load evaluation was performed by two methods in each subgroup: spontaneous sedimentation (SS) and sedimentation by centrifugation (SC). The parasite frequencies found were evaluated by the chi-squared test. Medically relevant parasites identified were helminths (Strongyloides stercoralis, Ascaris lumbricoides and Hookworms) as well as protozoa (Balantidium coli and Entamoeba coli). 44.6% of the FA samples presented some form of parasite by SS evaluation and 33.4% by SC evaluation; 66.7% of the CA samples presented parasites by SS evaluation, and 44.5% by SC evaluation. No significant differences were noted between the FA and CA groups in either technique. No parasites were found in any of the sanitized lettuces, regardless of the subgroup or technique applied. These results evidence theimportance of adequate training and guidance for vegetable growers, food handlers as well as the general population regarding proper hygiene of lettuce leaves prior to consumption.