Physicochemical Parameters and Abundance of Pathogenic Protozoans and Helminths in Abattoirs within Minna Metropolis, Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

Protozoans and helminthes are parasites. Protozoans are single-celled organisms, while helminthes are multicellular animals. These parasites feed off on other living organisms and cause diseases. The objective of this paper therefore was to investigate the physicochemical parameters and abundance of pathogenic protozoans and helminths in abattoirs within Minna Metropolis, Niger State, Nigeria using appropriate standard techniques.The parasites identified in the abattoirs wastewater samples in the three study locations were: Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiuria, Hookworm, Hymenolepis nana, Schistosoma mansoni, Strongyloides stercoralis, Toxocara vitulorum, and Fasciola hepatica. With Hookworm having the highest occurrence in Chanchaga wastewater with 20.7%, Tayi wastewater 21.2% and in Maikunkele 19.3%. Similar organisms were also observed to be present in the soil samples of the three study locations. Chanchaga with Schistosoma Mansoni having the highest occurrence of 25.4%, Tayi had high occurrence of Strongyloides stercoralis with 29.4%, and Maikunkele had high occurrence of Hookworm with 19.8%. The physicochemical parameters evaluated in the study areas shows that the colour and odour were different from the control with high level of clay, sand, Total Organic Carbon, Magnesium, Salinity, Nitrate and Sulphate in samples than the control (p<0.05),but in Maikunkele abattoir, Electricity Conductivity, Chloride, Phosphate, Sulphate were higher in the control than the samples. Therefore, conducting educational campaigns and raising awareness among the local population about the risks associated with contaminated water and soil in abattoirs is essential. Providing information on proper hygiene practices, including hand-washing and safe food preparation, can help prevent the ingestion of parasite eggs or cysts and minimize the spread of infections.