Edible plants as significant sources of Blastocystis spp. infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis

IF 2.9 Q2 PARASITOLOGY

Food and Waterborne Parasitology Pub Date : 2025-03-01 DOI:10.1016/j.fawpar.2025.e00254

Abdollah Didban , Farajolah Maleki , Laya Shamsi , Ali Asghari , Behzad Bijani , Amin Karampour

{"title":"Edible plants as significant sources of Blastocystis spp. infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis","authors":"Abdollah Didban , Farajolah Maleki , Laya Shamsi , Ali Asghari , Behzad Bijani , Amin Karampour","doi":"10.1016/j.fawpar.2025.e00254","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to comprehensively overview the global epidemiology and subtypes (STs) distribution of <em>Blastocystis</em> spp. in edible plants. A comprehensive search of various electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science) until May 19, 2024, found 27 studies/41 datasets meeting inclusion criteria, covering 8794 edible plants from 15 countries globally. Examined edible plants were composed of fruits (six datasets, 1198 samples), non-leafy green vegetables (10 datasets, 1158 samples), leafy green vegetables (18 datasets, 4245 samples), and uncategorized plants (seven datasets, 2193). This study revealed that 9.4 % (95 % CI: 6.6–13.4 %) of global edible plants harbored <em>Blastocystis</em> spp. Fruits had the highest <em>Blastocystis</em> spp. contamination rate among edible plants at 12.5 % (95 % CI: 5.4–26.6 %), followed by uncategorized plants at 10.2 % (95 % CI: 4.5–21.5 %), leafy green vegetables at 9.3 % (95 % CI: 6.1–13.9 %), and non-leafy green vegetables at 5.6 % (95 % CI: 2.5–12.1 %). Sensitivity analysis evaluated weighted prevalence changes after excluding specific studies. Subgroup analysis was conducted considering publication years, countries, continents, WHO regions, sample sizes, and diagnostic methods. Interestingly, zoonotic STs (ST1 and ST3) of <em>Blastocystis</em> spp. have been found in edible plants. These results highlight the potential risk of <em>Blastocystis</em> spp. transmission through consuming contaminated edible plants, emphasizing the importance of implementing adequate food safety measures to decrease the prevalence of this parasite in the food chain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37941,"journal":{"name":"Food and Waterborne Parasitology","volume":"38 ","pages":"Article e00254"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Food and Waterborne Parasitology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405676625000010","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PARASITOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to comprehensively overview the global epidemiology and subtypes (STs) distribution of Blastocystis spp. in edible plants. A comprehensive search of various electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science) until May 19, 2024, found 27 studies/41 datasets meeting inclusion criteria, covering 8794 edible plants from 15 countries globally. Examined edible plants were composed of fruits (six datasets, 1198 samples), non-leafy green vegetables (10 datasets, 1158 samples), leafy green vegetables (18 datasets, 4245 samples), and uncategorized plants (seven datasets, 2193). This study revealed that 9.4 % (95 % CI: 6.6–13.4 %) of global edible plants harbored Blastocystis spp. Fruits had the highest Blastocystis spp. contamination rate among edible plants at 12.5 % (95 % CI: 5.4–26.6 %), followed by uncategorized plants at 10.2 % (95 % CI: 4.5–21.5 %), leafy green vegetables at 9.3 % (95 % CI: 6.1–13.9 %), and non-leafy green vegetables at 5.6 % (95 % CI: 2.5–12.1 %). Sensitivity analysis evaluated weighted prevalence changes after excluding specific studies. Subgroup analysis was conducted considering publication years, countries, continents, WHO regions, sample sizes, and diagnostic methods. Interestingly, zoonotic STs (ST1 and ST3) of Blastocystis spp. have been found in edible plants. These results highlight the potential risk of Blastocystis spp. transmission through consuming contaminated edible plants, emphasizing the importance of implementing adequate food safety measures to decrease the prevalence of this parasite in the food chain.

查看原文本刊更多论文

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Food and Waterborne Parasitology Immunology and Microbiology-Parasitology

CiteScore

5.10

自引率

4.00%

发文量

审稿时长

13 weeks

期刊介绍： Food and Waterborne Parasitology publishes high quality papers containing original research findings, investigative reports, and scientific proceedings on parasites which are transmitted to humans via the consumption of food or water. The relevant parasites include protozoa, nematodes, cestodes and trematodes which are transmitted by food or water and capable of infecting humans. Pertinent food includes products of animal or plant origin which are domestic or wild, and consumed by humans. Animals and plants from both terrestrial and aquatic sources are included, as well as studies related to potable and other types of water which serve to harbor, perpetuate or disseminate food and waterborne parasites. Studies dealing with prevalence, transmission, epidemiology, risk assessment and mitigation, including control measures and test methodologies for parasites in food and water are of particular interest. Evidence of the emergence of such parasites and interactions among domestic animals, wildlife and humans are of interest. The impact of parasites on the health and welfare of humans is viewed as very important and within scope of the journal. Manuscripts with scientifically generated information on associations between food and waterborne parasitic diseases and lifestyle, culture and economies are also welcome. Studies involving animal experiments must meet the International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals as issued by the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences.