LAUSR

Toxoplasma gondii  a ubiquitous obligate intracellular parasite that can infect all warm-blooded animals, is one of the main pathogens causing foodborne diseases worldwide. In Gaza - Palestine, the leafy vegetables are frequently eaten raw.  The present study was carried out to investigate the occurrence of T. gondii oocyst in local leafy vegetables. For this purpose, fifty samples of each kind of six different leafy plants sold in markets, supermarkets, and retail sellers were randomly collected during the period from March to August 2019. , the three hundred samples were collected from six different species of leafy vegetables. The samples were examined microscopy through using a light microscope and after performing the flotation technique of Sheather's solution to easily detect the oocysts, the suspected samples were confirmed by using PCR technique. Upon analyzing the samples and using the PCR method, only 19 out of the 300 samples (6.33 %) were found to be contaminated, whereas by using Sheather's solution method, 35 out of the 300 samples (11.66%) were contaminated. Among the six various plants and according to the PCR method, mint held the highest rate of contamination (10.00 %), followed by both watercress and dill with a similar percentage (8.00%), parsley (6.00%), thyme (4.00%),  and finally, lettuce carrying the lowest rate (2.00%). Even though the sequence among those contaminated plants was found similar in the PCR and the Sheather's solution, the rates were different. With this method, mint stood at (18.00%), watercress (14.00%), dill (13.00%), parsley (10.00%), thyme (10.00%) and lettuce (6.00%). Moreover, the present study has reported that the relationship between the period of collection and T. gondii contamination is statistically significant. Whereby, the highest rate of contamination recorded was in July, followed by June, then August. Based on the findings of the present study, leafy vegetables are quite vulnerable to T. gondii contamination.