摘要：In rural Ethiopia, where people often share their homes with their livestock, infections of humans and animals with
Cryptosporidium and
Giardia are relatively common. One possible transmission route is consumption of contaminated fresh produce; this study investigated the occurrence of
Cryptosporidium and
Giardia in fresh produce in four districts of rural Tigray in Ethiopia. Fresh produce samples (
n = 55) were analysed using standard laboratory procedures. Overall, 15% (8/55) of samples were found to be contaminated. Although contamination levels were mostly low, a few samples had high numbers of
Giardia cysts (up to around 70 cysts per 30 g sample). Molecular analyses were largely unsuccessful, but
Giardia Assemblage A was identified in one sample. Contamination with these parasites was identified in two of the four districts, but, although a similar pattern has already been described for water contamination, this may be at least partially explained by sampling bias. Nevertheless, we speculate that access to clean water sources may be an important factor for reducing the occurrence of these pathogens. Given the public health and veterinary burden associated with both parasites, the factors which are of importance for their circulation in the communities and environments deserve further investigation.
