PARASITOLOGICAL ANALYSIS AND ISOLATION OF FREE-LIVING AMOEBAS FROM READY-TO-EAT SALADS IN RESTAURANTS IN JATAI, GOIAS

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.16891/2317-434X.v13.e3.a2025.id2114

Keywords:

Free-Living Amoebas, Poor hygiene, Waterborne and Foodborne Diseases

Abstract

The extensive consumption of processed foods in restaurants, such as rice, beans, vegetables, and legumes, represents 69.5% of the daily diet of Brazilians. This high intake of processed foods can carry Waterborne and Foodborne Diseases (WTAFs) due to poor hygiene of food handlers and contamination of water by parasites, resulting in symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Intestinal parasites cause clinical manifestations that can vary from asymptomatic to severe symptoms depending on the parasitic load, the individual's immune status, and the parasite in question. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze freshly prepared salads marketed and consumed in restaurants in the city of Jataí-GO in the years 2018 and 2019. A total of 122 samples of salads, approximately 100 grams each, were acquired, and different conventional parasitological methods were applied for parasite detection. For the isolation of Free-Living Amoebas (FLAs), sedimentation with agar plate seeding was used. The culture revealed a high contamination of restaurants by FLAs, and it was observed that the contamination in 2019 was higher than in 2018. Helminths identified in the parasitological analysis include Taenia sp., Fasciola sp., Eurytrema sp., Enterobius vermicularis, Toxocara sp., Eimeria sp., Trichuris sp., eggs from the Strongylidae family, and the protozoa Entamoeba coli and Cystoisospora sp. The high contamination rate of salads indicates poor food hygiene or poor hygiene of handlers, reflecting the lack of inspection by health authorities in establishments providing ready-to-eat foods.

Author Biographies

K Antonia Moraes Dutra, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Jatai, Brazil

Biomedical Scientist from the Federal University of Goiás - Regional Jataí. During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a teaching assistant in the areas of Histology, Cell Biology, and Embryology at the Special Unit of Biological Sciences, serving the courses of Biomedicine, Physiotherapy, Nursing, and Biology in 2018. She contributed as the Director of Education in the Academic League of Clinical Analyses (LIAC) in 2018, being a founding member. She has experience in the areas of Parasitology, Histology, Embryology, Cell Biology, and Clinical Pathology.

Nathalia de Oliveira Rizzi, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Jatai, Brazil

She completed high school at Machado de Assis (2012) and graduated in Biomedicine from the Federal University of Jataí, where she was a Teaching Assistant in Urinalysis and Body Fluids.

Eli Junior Pereira Rodrigues, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Jatai, Brazil

Graduating in Biomedicine at the Federal University of Jataí, being a Scientific Initiation student in activities linked to the Bacteriology and Mycology Laboratory under the supervision of Professor Dr. Hanstter Hanllison Alves Rezende. He was a member of the Mental Health League (2022-2023), an active member of the Nise da Silveira Health and Disease History Study and Research Group (2022-2023), a student of English 1 and 2 at the Language Center of the Federal University of Jataí (2022-2023), and a teaching assistant in the Biostatistics course (2023.2). Currently, he is a member of the Academic League of Clinical Analyses and the Academic League of Clinical Anatomy.

Stefanne Rodrigues Rezende Ferreira, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Jatai, Brazil

Biomedical Scientist graduated from the Federal University of Jataí. She was a Scientific Initiation student and collaborator in activities linked to the Research Group Applied to Microbiology, Immunology, Pathology, and Parasitology (PAMIPP) under the supervision of Professor Dr. Hanstter Hallison Alves Rezende (2018 - 2022). She was a member of the Academic League of Clinical Analyses (2018-2022). She served as the Director of Science and Student Assistance for the Academic Center of Biomedicine (CAB) at UFG - Reg Jataí (2019). She was a member of the Clinical Biochemistry and Body Fluids Laboratory at UFJ.

Vanessa Oliveira Lopes de Moura, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Jatai, Brazil

Biomedical Scientist from the Federal University of Jataí (2017-2021) with a specialization in Clinical Analyses and Environmental Analyses. Specialist in Aesthetic Biomedicine from FAVENI (2022). Specialist in Ozone Therapy from the National School of Biomedicine (2022). Currently, a master's student in the Graduate Program in Health Applied Sciences (PPGCAS) at UFJ, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Hanstter Hallison Alves Rezende, with a research focus on Methods, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Diseases. During her undergraduate studies, she worked as an intern from 08/2018 to 01/2019 in the Clinical Biochemistry and Body Fluids Laboratory at UFG-ReJ. She has experience in Medical Microbiology, Clinical Biochemistry and Body Fluids, and Laboratory Organization. Founding member of the Academic League of Clinical Analyses (LIAC) (2018-2022). Teaching assistant in the Laboratory Management course and a Scientific Initiation student from 06/2019 to 12/2019, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Hanstter Hallison Alves Rezende. Completed Supervised Internship I from 01/2020 to 03/2020 at Renovare Laboratory in Jataí, GO, under the supervision of Dr. Arlette Ferreira dos Reis. Participated in the dissection process of the first cadaver of the UFJ Medicine course under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Bárbara Lucas in 07/2020. Completed a non-mandatory internship (Environmental Analysis) at SANEAGO in Jataí, GO, from 03/2020 to 09/2021, under the supervision of Biologist Rafael Rodrigues de Paiva. She was a Scientific Initiation student and collaborator in activities linked to the Research Group Applied to Microbiology, Immunology, Pathology, and Parasitology (PAMIPP) under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Hanstter Hallison Alves Rezende.

Lara Giovanna Gauer do Nascimento, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Jatai, Brazil

Undergraduate student in Biomedicine at the Federal University of Jataí, member of the AEC - Interprofessional League for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer (2023-2024), member of the Academic Center of Biomedicine (CABM-UFJ), and also volunteers in the Bacteriology and Mycology Laboratory (LBM-UFJ), under the supervision of Professor Dr. Hanstter Hallison Alves Rezende.

Daniella de Sousa Mendes Moreira Alves, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Jatai, Brazil

She holds a degree in Biomedicine from the Federal University of Goiás - UFG (2004), a Master's in Health Sciences from the University of Brasília - UnB (2006), a PhD in Health Sciences from the University of Brasília - UnB (2012), and a postdoctoral fellowship in Tropical Medicine and Public Health (PNPD/CAPES) from the Federal University of Goiás - UFG (2019). She is the technical manager of the company Green Indústria e Comércio de Bebidas LTDA. She is a volunteer collaborator at the Laboratory for the Study of the Parasite-Host Relationship (LAERPH) at the Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health at the Federal University of Goiás (IPTSP - UFG). She worked as a substitute professor in the field of Biomedicine at the Federal Institute of Goiás - IFG, Goiânia Oeste Campus (2019), in the following technical courses integrated with high school: Clinical Analyses, Health Surveillance, and Nutrition and Dietetics. She was a guest professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás - PUC GO (2014), in Goiânia-GO, and a master's professor at the following higher education institutions in Brasília-DF: Anhanguera Educacional and UniCEUB. She has experience in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses, in developing research projects, in the artisanal production of kombucha, and participating in examination boards for postgraduate programs in Tropical Medicine and Public Health and Biology of Parasite-Host Relationships. She also works on research projects in the following topics: free-living amoebae; Acanthamoeba; clinical isolation; environmental isolation; energy metabolism; viability assay; experimental infection; genotyping; phylogenetic analysis; determination of pathogenic potential. Trypanosoma cruzi; viability and energy metabolism. Taenia crassiceps: energy metabolism.

Hanstter Hallison Alves Rezende, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Jatai, Brazil

Biomedical Scientist from the Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás (2013). Licensed in Biological Sciences from the Faculty of Caldas Novas - Unicaldas (2011). Specialist in Acupuncture and Hematology-Blood Bank. Master's degree (2015) and PhD (2018) in Tropical Medicine and Public Health from the Institute of Tropical Medicine and Public Health at UFG. Permanent professor at the Federal University of Jataí (UFJ), assigned to the Institute of Health Sciences - Biomedicine in the area of Microbiology. Coordinator of the Bacteriology and Mycology Laboratory (LBM-UFJ). Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Health Applied Sciences (PPGCAS). Advisor of the Academic League of Clinical Analyses (LIAC). Extensive experience in activities related to public management and people management, health services, and laboratories. Researcher in the areas of microbiology, parasitology, human and animal toxoplasmosis, genetics, and molecular biology of microorganisms.

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Published

2025-10-19

How to Cite

Antonia Moraes Dutra, K., Rizzi, N. de O., Pereira Rodrigues, E. J., Rodrigues Rezende Ferreira, S., Oliveira Lopes de Moura, V., Gauer do Nascimento, L. G., Mendes Moreira Alves, D. de S., & Alves Rezende, H. H. (2025). PARASITOLOGICAL ANALYSIS AND ISOLATION OF FREE-LIVING AMOEBAS FROM READY-TO-EAT SALADS IN RESTAURANTS IN JATAI, GOIAS. Revista Interfaces: Saúde, Humanas E Tecnologia, 13(3), 5649–5658. https://doi.org/10.16891/2317-434X.v13.e3.a2025.id2114

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2025):

Section

Artigos