Parasites on Fruits & Vegetables.

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Fruits and vegetables,particularly those eaten raw and without peeling have been demonstrated to be the vehicle for transmission of a range of parasites. Parasites that have been associated with vegetable or fruitborne outbreaks of infection, rather than individual cases, include the helminth parasites Fasciola and Ascaris, and the protozoan parasites Giardia, Cyclospora and Cryptosporidium.

Ascaris eggs are recognized as being sticky and difficult to remove. It would be worth washing fruit and vegetables thoroughly before eating them raw and unpeeled.

from on.L.J. and Gjerde , B. (2000)"Isolation and Enumeration of Giardia Cysts,Cryptosporidium Oocysts , and Ascaris eggs from Fruits and Vegetables" Journal of Food protection Vol63,No 6 pages 773-778