Occurrence of Salmonella and Shigella on Dried Crayfish (Procambarus Clarkia) Sold in Zaria and Kaduna Central Market, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

Cryptosporidium spp. and helminths are responsible for diarrhoal illness in humans and many other animals. The transmission routes of these parasites suggest a risk for human infection through contaminated foods. In or der to determine the occurrence of Cryptosporidiumoocysts and helminth ova on dried crayfish (Procamba rus clarkii) sold in Zaria and Kaduna Central market, Kaduna State, 100 crayfish samples were examined us ing the modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique for Cryptosporidium oocyst and the flotation technique for helminth ova. The measurements of the oocysts from the positive samples were estimated by using a cali brated microscope eyepiece. The prevalence of Cryp tosporidium oocysts in dried crayfish was 20.0 % while the location-based prevalence was 43.3 %, 5.0 %, and 12.0 % for Sabo, Samaru and Kaduna central market, respectively. Micrometry revealed that the oocysts size ranged from 3.68 µm to 4.7 µm. Also, the prevalence of helminth ova in dried crayfish was 19 %, while the specific prevalence based on location showed a higher prevalence in Sabo (30.0 %) than in Kaduna central market (18.0 %) and Samaru (5.0 %). The helminth eggs recov ered from this study included: Toxocara spp. (4.0 %), Ascaris spp. (7.0 %), Trichuris spp. (4.0 %), Schistosoma spp. (2.0 %), Ancylostoma spp. (1.0 %), and Capillariaspp. (1.0 %). The analysis of the questionnaires revealed that 71 (71.0 %) of the respondents ate uncooked crayfish and 44.0 % used their bare hands to handle the cray fish. There was no statistically significant association (P > 0.05) between the prevalence of Cryptosporidiumoocysts or helminth ova and the locations sampled. This study has shown that dried crayfish obtained from markets within the study area were contaminated with parasite ova and oocysts, thus public enlightenment on the dangers of the consumption of raw or undercooked dried crayfish should be well publicized.