Magnitude of intestinal parasites, enteric bacterial infections, antimicrobial susceptibility, and associated factors among street food vendors in Bule Hora town, south Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Foodborne illnesses pose a significant global health issue. In Ethiopia, particularly in rapidly expanding urban areas such as Bule Hora Town, the combination of rapid urbanization, inadequate infrastructure, and poor hygiene conditions has created a high-risk environment for the transmission of enteric bacterial infections and intestinal parasites. The widespread consumption of street food in Bule Hora Town contributes substantially to the incidence of foodborne illnesses.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the occurrence of enteric bacteria, intestinal parasites, antimicrobial resistance patterns, and its related factors among street food vendors in Bule Hora town.

METHODS: A community based cross-sectional study was carried out in the town of Bule Hora from April to May 2024. The current study enrolled 230 randomly chosen street food vendors in Bule Hora town. Data were obtained through direct interviews by using a semi-structured questionnaire. Both Stool samples and finger nails were taken from the food vendors for bacteria and parasite identification. Wet mount, formal ether concentration technique, culture and biochemical tests were used to identify enteric bacteria and intestinal parasites. The data were entered and analyzed using Epi-Data 3.1 and SPSS version 25, using logistic regression analysis. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULT: The general prevalence of enteric bacterial pathogens and intestinal parasites was 7.8% (95% CI: 5.4%-10.2%) and 20.8% (95% CI: 17.35%-24.25%) respectively. Of the identified pathogens Ascaris lumbricoides (41.6%) and Salmonella (7.4%) were the most common parasite and enteric bacterial infections, respectively. Untrimmed fingernails, drinking raw milk, absence of hand washing with soap after the toilet, and eating raw vegetables or fruit were factors linked to prevalence of enteric bacteria and intestinal parasite infections. Further, all the Salmonella and Shigella strains identified displayed complete resistance to the antibiotic ampicillin.

CONCLUSION: The study identified a significant prevalence of enteric bacteria and intestinal parasites among street food vendors in the current study area. Bule Hora Health Bureau, in collaboration with the town municipality, should provide regular medical checkups and health education for street-food vendors in the town.