Prevalence of intestinal parasites among food handlers at cafeteria of Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia

Objective: To assess the prevalence of intestinal parasites and associated risk factors among food-handlers working at cafeteria of Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Jimma, Ethiopia. Socio-demographic and associated risk factors data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire. Stool and finger-nail specimens were screened for intestinal parasites using direct wet mount and formol-ether concentration sedimentation techniques. Data were edited, cleaned, entered and analyzed using statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 20. *P* 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. Methods: [integrated into objective description above; full structured abstract continues directly into results] Results: A total of 94 food-handlers working at cafeteria of Jimma University Specialized Hospital were participated in the study. From the total 148 samples (94 stool and 54 finger-nails content) examined, 31 (33%) were positive for one or more parasites. Over all eight types of intestinal parasites were identified. The most prevalent parasite identified was *Ascaris lumbricoides* (16%) followed by *Entamoeba histolytica/dispar* (4.3%). There was significant association between parasitic infection and food handlers who did not practice hand washing after defecation and before serving food. Conclusions: Relatively high prevalence of intestinal parasites is detected indicating poor hygiene practice of the food-handlers at the study site. The study also identified finger-nail status, hand washing after defecation and before serving food as determinants of intestinal parasitic infection. It is crucial for provision of regular training on strict adherence to good personal hygiene and hygienic food-handling practices as well as regular inspection and medical checkup of food-handlers. (Source: Asian Pac J Trop Dis 2017; 7(8): 467-471; DOI 10.12980/apjtd.7.2017D7-20)