TITLE:
Prevalence of Cryptosporidial Oocysts in Soil of Recreational Parks in Abuja, Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Idowu Oluwabukola Olufemi, Otalu Otalu Jr., Mohammed Bello, Idris Alao Lawal, Jacob Kwada Pajhi Kwaga
KEYWORDS:
Cryptosporidial Oocyst, Recreational Parks, Abuja, Health Risk
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Medical Microbiology,
Vol.4 No.4,
November
27,
2014
ABSTRACT: Contamination of soil with cryptosporidial oocysts poses a great health risk to people especially in individuals who are immune-compromised. Exposure to contaminated soil can cause diarrhoea in humans especially in children who play around the parks and may not wash their hands before handling food. The prevalence of cryptosporidial oocyst in soils of 4 recreational parks in Abuja, Nigeria was investigated. Four hundred soil samples were collected from various locations within the recreational parks and examined for the presence of cryptosporidial oocyst using modified acid fast staining technique. In nine (2.3%) of the samples, 8 were from park A and 1 was from park B contained cryptosporidial oocyst. There was significant association (χ2 = 20.1; df = 2; p = 0.00004) between prevalence of Cryptosporidium oocysts and level of hygiene of the parks. It was concluded that soil in recreational parks may be a source of infection with Cryptosporidium oocysts.