Análisis de la presencia de ooquistes de Toxoplasma gondii en coles verdes (Brassica oleracea var. Capitata) comercializados en el mercado central de Ambato, Ecuador

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii constitutes a critical public health problem affecting approximately one-third of the world's population, with severe impacts on pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals, being particularly relevant in Ecuador where seroprevalence rates of 70 percent are reported and there is limited research on parasitic contamination in vegetable products. The general objective was to analyze the presence of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts in green cabbages (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) commercialized in the Central Market of Ambato, Ecuador. The methodology employed completely randomized sampling of 15 cabbages from 5 sales stalls, microscopic analysis through flotation with Sheather's sucrose solution, and molecular confirmation by PCR targeting the B1 gene. The results demonstrated a prevalence of 53.33 percent (16 of 30 samples) of oocyst contamination, with significant variations between stalls (16.7 percent to 100 percent) and a statistically significant association (chi-square of 9.911, p less than 0.05) between sales stall and parasitic presence. It is concluded that there is considerable risk to local public health due to the high prevalence detected. The main contribution to the state of the art lies in constituting the first research that documents Toxoplasma gondii in vegetables commercialized in Ambato, providing fundamental epidemiological data for control and prevention strategies in food safety, and establishing a validated methodological protocol for parasitic detection in vegetable matrices within the Ecuadorian context.