Peru is currently one of the world’s leading culinary destinations, whose world-renowned cuisine uses vegetables, mainly lettuce, as frequent ingredients. Vegetable consumption is promoted worldwide as a part of a healthy diet. However, vegetables, more frequently lettuce, have been implicated as a vehicle of infection for several foodborne parasites. This study aimed to determine the presence of potentially pathogenic parasites in lettuce marketed in the Central Andes of Peru. A total of 75 lettuce samples were collected from the two largest wholesale markets and the main open-air market in Jauja province, in the central Peruvian Andes. The province of provenance (coast vs. highlands), lettuce variety (“curly-leaf”, “iceberg”, and “butter”), and type of market were recorded. The samples were microscopically examined for detection of parasitic life forms using standard parasitological methods including direct slide smear, Lugol’s iodine staining, and Modified Ziehl–Neelsen staining. The overall positivity of parasitic contamination in lettuces was 45.3% (CI 95%: 34–56.6%). Cryptosporidium spp., Isospora belli, Giardia lamblia, Balantidium coli, and Entamoeba spp. were detected in twenty-six (34.7%), six (8%), four (5.3%), two (2.7%), and two (2.7%) lettuces, respectively. I. belli was found in a significantly (p < 0.01) lower proportion in the “butter” variety, and significantly (p < 0.05) higher contamination with G. lamblia was found in lettuce sold at the open-air market. B. coli, G. lamblia, and E. histolytica/E. dispar/E. moshkovskii were detected only in lettuce from the highlands (Tarma province). This study provides important data for health authorities to develop food safety programs. This information is also of interest to the international community because of the increased visibility that Peru has gained as a tourist destination.

Cystic Echinococcosis, Huancayo Province, Peru

Background: Recently, it was proposed the name of Sarcocystis masoni n. sp. for the Sarcocystis that causes microcyst in skeletal muscle of South American camelids. However, there are no ultrastructural reports of microcysts of Sarcocystis in cardiac muscle of alpacas. This study reports ultrastructural features of microcysts of Sarcocystis sp. from cardiac muscle of naturally infected alpacas. Methods: Thirty alpacas (age range: three to five years) from the province of Junin, Peruvian Central Andes, were included in this study in January 2015. Cardiac muscle samples were evaluated by histology and transmission electron microscopy. Results: Bradyzoites in cysts had typical characteristics of Apicomplexa including organelles, a large nucleus, micronemes, dense bodies, and polysaccharide granules. Moreover, cysts had a thin wall with numerous, short, finger-like shapes with rounded tip protrusions (0.51 x 0.17 µm). Conclusion: Sarcocystis sp. from the heart and S. masoni n. sp. from the skeletal muscle have similar ultrastructural characteristics.

Se evaluó la presencia de enteropatógenos en 60 crías de alpacas de 1 a 2.5 meses de edad con cuadros mortales de diarrea de las regiones de Pasco y Junín, Perú. Se tomaron muestras de heces para determinar la frecuencia de Escherichia coli y Salmonella sp mediante microbiología convencional, de parásitos gastrointestinales por las técnicas de sedimentación y flotación, y de Criptosporidium sp mediante la técnica de Ziehl Neelsen Modificado. Además, se evidenció la presencia de antígenos virales con la ayuda de un kit comercial de inmunocromatografía. Se identificó E. coli (80%), coronavirus (53.3%), Eimeria sp (43.3%), Nematodirus sp (40%), rotavirus (36.6%), Criptosporidium sp (20%) y Salmonella sp (18.3%). Asimismo, se determinó que el 38.3% de los animales presentó los tres tipos de patógenos, mientras que el 23.3% presentó asociación de bacterias y parásitos, y el 11.7% presentó asociación de virus y bacterias.