Fresh Vegetables and Ready-to-eat Salads: Sources of Parasitic Zoonoses in Mampong-Ashanti, Ghana

Amissah-Reynolds, Papa Kofi; Yar, Denis Dekugmen; Gyamerah, Isaac; Apenteng, Ofosuhene Yaw; Sakyi, Sophia

doi:10.9734/ejnfs/2020/v12i230192

Cited by 12 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Customers with unclean hands could further increase their risk of contracting food-related diseases [ 71 ]. The prevalence of bacterial contamination was least on GH¢ notes collected from vegetable shops although vegetables are known to carry microbes [ 72 , 73 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial Contaminants and Antibiogram of Ghana Paper Currency Notes in Circulation and Their Associated Health Risks in Asante-Mampong, Ghana

Yar

2020

International Journal of Microbiology

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Transmission of pathogens through currency notes has become very relevant in today’s world due to COVID-19 pandemic. This study profiled microbial flora and their antibiotic activities from Ghana paper currency (GH¢) notes in circulation in Mampong Municipal of Ashanti Region, Ghana. The study employed a cross-sectional design to assess bacterial contaminants and their antibiotic activities from January to May 2019. A total of 70 GH¢ notes consisting of 15 each of GH¢1, GH¢2, and GH¢5; 10 each of GH¢10 and GH¢20; and 5 of GH¢50 were randomly sampled from persons at different shops, canteens, and commercial drivers. The surfaces of each GH¢ note were gently swabbed, and tenfold serial dilutions made were inoculated on plate count agar (PCA), MacConkey agar, mannitol salt agar, and deoxycholate citrate agar. The study used appropriate laboratory and biochemical tests for bacterial identification. SPSS-IBM version 16.0 was used to analyze the data. Of the 70 GH¢ notes studied, 97.1% were contaminated with one or more bacterial isolates. Mean counts on PCA ranged between 3.2 cfu/ml × 105 and 4.7 cfu/ml × 105 on GH¢ notes. Of 124 bacteria isolated, 34 (27.4%), 30 (24.2%), 22 (17.7%), 17 (13.7%), 13 (10.5%), and 8 (6.5%) were from GH¢1, GH¢2, GH¢10, GH¢5, GH¢20, and GH¢50, respectively (p<0.05). Bacterial isolates were Escherichia coli (28.23%), Staphylococcus aureus (16.94%), coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (16.13%), Klebsiella species (11.29%), Salmonella species (9.68%), Shigella species (8.87%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5.65%), and Proteus species (3.23%). GH¢ notes had 25.81%, 20.16%, 19.35%, 17.74%, and 16.94% from meat shops, commercial drivers, canteens, grocery shops, and vegetable shops, respectively. All bacteria were 100% resistant to erythromycin, 87.5% to tetracycline, chloramphenicol, and cotrimoxazole, 75% to vancomycin, while 87.50% sensitive to amikacin. The GH¢ notes were heavily colonized with potential pathogens, which are resistant to most commonly used antibiotics and could pose a health threat to users during commercial transactions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial Contaminants and Antibiogram of Ghana Paper Currency Notes in Circulation and Their Associated Health Risks in Asante-Mampong, Ghana

Yar

2020

International Journal of Microbiology

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“…In other to boost the productivity of vegetable farming thereby reducing poverty within the region, the Government and several development partners have established small scale irrigation schemes, dug-outs and others. For example, the Government of Ghana in 2017 launched the Planting for Food and Jobs programme [29]. These interventions have contributed to the improvement in the production and supply of vegetables [30].…”

Section: Production and Distribution Trend Of Vegetablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrient Composition and Health Benefits of Underutilized Green Leafy Vegetables in Ghana: A Review

Osafo

2021

EJNFS

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Diverse indigenous leaf and fruit vegetables are rich sources of nutrients that cater for the populace especially for those residing in rural areas. However, inadequate knowledge of their constituents and health benefits have decreased its consumption in recent years as opposed to exotic vegetables. Hence to promote their consumption, nutritional, phytochemical, ethnomedicinal and pharmacological properties of the four most popular and widely used indigenous vegetables in several parts of Ghana; Corchorus olitorius (Jute mallow), Talinum triangulare (Waterleaf), Xanthosoma sagittifolium (Cocoyam leaves), and Launaea taraxacifolia (Dandelion) were reviewed through a vigorous literature search. They possess variety of minerals and phytochemicals and as a result exhibited a wide range of pharmacological effects. This makes them a very useful inexpensive resource for tackling undernutrition and malnutrition which is prevalent in Ghana. There is therefore, a need to create awareness that will encourage their consumption in a bid to reduce malnutrition and attain the UN Sustainable Development Goal of achieving food security, improving nutrition, promoting good health and well-being by 2030.

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“…Cases of human infections in Ghana may be underestimated given that serological tests that offer accurate results with high sensitivity and specificity [27] are not available in the rural areas where infection rates are significantly higher. The presence of Toxocara eggs in vegetable farm soils suggests that consumption of unwashed, fresh vegetable products may be a source of infections [28]. Contact with the hair of dogs may also be a mode of transmission of toxocariasis [29,30].…”

Section: Zoonotic Transmissions From Companion Animalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zoonotic Risks from Domestic Animals in Ghana

Amissah-Reynolds

2020

IJPR

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Zoonoses are diseases or infections which are naturally transmitted from vertebrate animals to humans and vice versa. These infections account for more than half of human infections worldwide, with most cases reported in developing countries like Ghana. The Government of Ghana recently launched the “Rearing for Food and Jobs Campaign”, an initiative to bridge the glaring deficit in protein supply. This has resulted in increased livestock production nationwide in response to the increasing demand for animal protein. Increase in both human and livestock population in the country have implications for transmission of zoonotic diseases, as it allows for more frequent interactions between the two within a limited space. Multiple animals are kept in various homes at varying levels of confinement. Security concerns, particularly in urban areas, have resulted in an increased reliance on dogs, while financial considerations have mainly driven a rapid increase in livestock production both at commercial and smallholder levels. Taking into account that the pandemics in the past few decades have animal origins, this growing human-animal interconnection is of concern. Albeit an increased household-human-animal ratio, there is a paucity of epidemiological data on domestic animals in Ghana. Several zoonotic diseases have been reported in Ghana, including rabies, toxocariasis, toxoplasmosis, Q-fever, hepatitis E and brucellosis. Risk factors such as close contact with animals, poor hand hygiene, poor sanitation, and unvaccinated, free-ranging animals have been linked with zoonotic transmissions. Zoonoses have been recorded in homes, slaughterhouses, and on farms in farm workers, butchers, and vulnerable groups, including children, pregnant women, and HIV patients. A ‘One-Health’ approach, which comprises well-coordinated activities of both health and veterinary services, will facilitate timely diagnosis and effective control of zoonoses in Ghana.

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Fresh Vegetables and Ready-to-eat Salads: Sources of Parasitic Zoonoses in Mampong-Ashanti, Ghana

Cited by 12 publications

References 14 publications

Bacterial Contaminants and Antibiogram of Ghana Paper Currency Notes in Circulation and Their Associated Health Risks in Asante-Mampong, Ghana

Bacterial Contaminants and Antibiogram of Ghana Paper Currency Notes in Circulation and Their Associated Health Risks in Asante-Mampong, Ghana

Nutrient Composition and Health Benefits of Underutilized Green Leafy Vegetables in Ghana: A Review

Zoonotic Risks from Domestic Animals in Ghana

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