[Comparative analysis of parasite detection methods in vegetables for human consumption].

INTRODUCTION: vegetable contamination is a persistent health problem. The different methods of processing and diagnosis make it difficult to determine the most effective and sensitive technique.

OBJECTIVE: a comparative analysis of parasitological technique sensitivity in vegetable samples.

METHODS: a total of 30 samples were harvested -lettuce (Lactuca sativa), rocket (Eruca sativa) and watercress (Nasturtium officinale)--and later analyzed using Hoffman, Pons, and Janer (HPJ) and Faust (f) techniques. Data were analyzed, using the Bland-Altman test to evaluate the correlation and the Mann-Whitney test to compare the medians.

RESULTS: of the analyzed samples, 46.6% were positive for intestinal parasites; Balantidium coli, accounting for 20% of contamination, Entamoeba coli (21.6) and Entamoeba histolityca (5%), Trichuris trichiura (3.3%) and Strongyloides stercoralis (2.5%) The Bland-Altman test showed significant correlation between the analyzed methods. When evaluating the averages separately, there was significant difference (p = 0.05) among the results.

CONCLUSIONS: this study proved that the HPJ technique was more effective for the detection of eggs, helminth larvae and protozoan cysts in the plants under study.