University of the Philippines scientists warn against parasites in raw vegetables and seafood

Scientists from the University of the Philippines (UP) on Thursday warned the public about the risk of infectious parasites in vegetables and seafood sold in local markets.The team of Cielo Emar Paraoan, Ren Mark Villanueva, and Marie Christine Obusan of the UP Diliman College of Science - Institute of Biology detected traces of the single-cell parasite Toxoplasma gondii (T.gondii) in oysters and vegetables.The study "found that T. gondii is fairly common in vegetables and oysters that [were] sampled from local markets in Central Luzon. Among the vegetables tested were lettuce, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, and mung bean sprouts."Contamination was detected in six of 60 vegetables (10%) sampled, and four of 44 oysters (9.09%) analyzed. Leafy vegetables were more contaminated than root vegetables.According to a statement released Thursday by the UP College of Science, T. gondii is "one of the most infectious parasites in the world." Affecting nearly a third of the global ...