E.U. Edosomwan

Bottled water is water that is intended for human consumption and is sealed in bottles or other container with no added ingredients except that it may contain safe and suitable fluorides. The sale and consumption of bottled water continues to grow rapidly in most places in Nigeria and is of public health concern. This study was designed to assess the physical and chemical quality of bottled drinking water sold in retail outlets in Benin City.

A survey of soil transmitted helminthes (STH) in different markets of Benin City was carried out using the test-tube floatation method. A total of three hundred (300) samples from different sections of the markets were examined and 82 (27.33%) samples had various geohelminth eggs. The parasite prevalence rates were Ascaris lumbricoides (30.99%), Necator americanus (20.25%), Trichuris trichuria (16.12%), Strongyloides stercoralis (10.33%). The prevalence of these helminth eggs is attributed to indiscriminate disposal of faeces and refuse in and around the markets.

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for the diagnosis of fascioliasis due to F. gigantica was found to be more sensitive for the diagnosis of fascioliasis when compared with Faecal Egg Examination (FEE). An average monthly prevalence of 79.3% was observed for ELISA while FEE gave a prevalence of 28%. This indicates that parasitological methods of diagnosis underestimates parasite prevalence. There is therefore need to use conventional method of diagnosis in association with serological diagnosis.