Bacterial and Parasitic Intestinal Infections among Food Handlers in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India

Introduction: Worldwide, food handlers play a vital role in spreading intestinal infections. Poor personal hygiene and inadequate knowledge of food safety among food handlers working in food-serving establishments would make the food handler a potential source of infection of enteropathogenic bacteria, many intestinal helminths, and protozoa. The purpose of the study was to assess the prevalence of bacteria and intestinal parasites in food handlers working in our institution. Methods:  The study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, T.S. Misra Medical College & Hospital, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, and included ۱۰۰ food handlers working in various institutional sections. The stool samples were collected from all participants and examined by microscopy for intestinal parasites. For detecting Salmonella spp, specimens were cultured on selenite F broth and xylose lysine deoxycholate. Results: Most food handlers (۸۵%) were ۲۱-۲۵ years old. Twenty-six (۲۶%) of the food handlers had parasitic infections, while bacterial infections were detected in none. The dominant parasite among food handlers was Giardia lamblia, followed by Ascaris lumbricoides. Conclusion: Food handlers must undergo regular checkups to identify infected employees to safeguard the health of patients, visitors, and health care workers.

Keywords:

Ascaris lumbricoides , Salmonella spp. , food-borne illness , Giardia lamblia