Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among food vendors referred to Gonbad-e-kavus health central laboratories in 2013

Intestinal parasitic infection is one of the most important health problems in our society, especially among food retailers. In previous studies, different types of intestinal parasites have been reported in Iran. The purpose of this study was to determine intestinal parasitic infections among food vendors in Gonbad-e-kavus in 2013.
In this study, stool samples were collected from food vendors in sterile containers then the samples were tested using three different methods namely Direct, Formalin-ether, and Rapid Safranin. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16.
In the present study no parasites were found in 100 samples using both Direct and Rapid Safranin methods whereas only 1 case of Hymenolepis nana (1%) was found by formalin–ether method.
According to the results, regular periodic monitoring of health centers and applying conventional and supplementary methods to diagnose parasitic infections is essential.