<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

Cooks have an important role in the dissemination and transmission of enteropathogenic microorganisms, including intestinal parasites such as <italic>Blastocystis</italic> sp. responsible for blastocystosis.
Blastocystis is a unicellular, anaerobic, eukaryotic protist that colonizes the intestinal tract of many hosts. It is the most common parasite found in human stool. It can be the cause of acute digestive disorders which could lead to chronic syndromes such as irritable bowel syndrome. The aim of the present study is to determine the prevalence of this protozoan in cooks in the Fez-Meknes region. This is a retrospective descriptive analytical study carried out in the Parasitology-Mycology laboratory of the Moulay Ismail Military Hospital in Meknes.
Out of a total of 200 parasitological examinations of cooks’ stools, 88 (44 %) cases were positive for intestinal parasites. <italic>Blastocystis</italic> sp. is the most frequently encountered protozoan in our study. It represents 39.78 % of those infected. It is associated in 48.57 % of cases with another intestinal parasite. <italic>Dientamoeba fragilis</italic> (<italic>D. fragilis</italic>) is the most found in 31.43 % of co-infections, respectively followed by <italic>Entamoeba coli</italic> (<italic>E. coli</italic>) (8.57 %), <italic>Endolimax nana</italic> (<italic>E. nana</italic>) (5.71 %) and <italic>Pseudolimax boutschlii</italic> (<italic>P. boutschlii</italic>) (2.86 %).
Our results showed a high prevalence of <italic>Blastocystis</italic> sp. in the kitchen staff population. These workers must be considered as reservoirs of this microorganism, and therefore a source of infection in those around them. Consequently, preventive measures are necessary, including raising awareness among this population in order to effectively fight against the infestation by this protozoan in particular and other parasites in general.
</abstract>

Cooks have an important role in the dissemination and transmission of enteropathogenic microorganisms, including intestinal parasites such as Blastocystis sp. responsible for blastocystosis.
Blastocystis is a unicellular, anaerobic, eukaryotic protist that colonizes the intestinal tract of many hosts. It is the most common parasite found in human stool. It can be the cause of acute digestive disorders which could lead to chronic syndromes such as irritable bowel syndrome. The aim of the present study is to determine the prevalence of this protozoan in cooks in the Fez-Meknes region. This is a retrospective descriptive analytical study carried out in the Parasitology-Mycology laboratory of the Moulay Ismail Military Hospital in Meknes.
Out of a total of 200 parasitological examinations of cooks’ stools, 88 (44 %) cases were positive for intestinal parasites. Blastocystis sp. is the most frequently encountered protozoan in our study. It represents 39.78 % of those infected. It is associated in 48.57 % of cases with another intestinal parasite. Dientamoeba fragilis (D. fragilis) is the most found in 31.43 % of co-infections, respectively followed by Entamoeba coli (E. coli) (8.57 %), Endolimax nana (E. nana) (5.71 %) and Pseudolimax boutschlii (P. boutschlii) (2.86 %).
Our results showed a high prevalence of Blastocystis sp. in the kitchen staff population. These workers must be considered as reservoirs of this microorganism, and therefore a source of infection in those around them. Consequently, preventive measures are necessary, including raising awareness among this population in order to effectively fight against the infestation by this protozoan in particular and other parasites in general.

Prevalence of <italic>Blastocystis</italic> sp. among cooks in the region of Fez-Meknes (Morocco)

Human Pathology, Biomedicine and Environment Laboratory

Helminthologia

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Prevalence of  sp. among cooks in the region of Fez-Meknes (Morocco)

Cooks have an important role in the dissemination and transmission of enteropathogenic microorganisms, including intestinal parasites such as Blastocystis sp....

Prevalence of Blastocystis sp. among cooks in the region of Fez-Meknes (Morocco)

Published Online: Jun 04, 2023

Page range: 36 - 43

Received: Dec 30, 2021

Accepted: Dec 30, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/helm-2023-0002

Keywords
sp., Prevalence, Cooks, Co-infections, Protozoa

© 2023 M. Boutahar et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Prevalence of Blastocystis sp. among cooks in the region of Fez-Meknes (Morocco)

Published Online: Jun 04, 2023

Page range: 36 - 43

Received: Dec 30, 2021

Accepted: Dec 30, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/helm-2023-0002

Keywordssp., Prevalence, Cooks, Co-infections, Protozoa

© 2023 M. Boutahar et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
sp., Prevalence, Cooks, Co-infections, Protozoa