Protozoan Parasites and Leafy Greens in Marrakech: Study of Occurrence Using a Molecular Method.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the presence of T. gondii, Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts, and G. duodenalis cysts, in three leafy greens (coriander, lettuce, and parsley) commonly consumed raw. Despite the recognition of the association between the parasitic illnesses and the consumption of contaminated food, there is still a lack of studies investigating the occurrence of parasitic contamination in food matrices. METHODS: A total of 152 leafy green samples were collected in Marrakech from April 2018 to October 2019. Parasites were eluted and concentrated before detection of their DNA by real-time qPCR. RESULTS: The analysis revealed an overall rate of contamination of 32.2% (49/152), with 29.6% (45/152) positive for T. gondii and 2.6% (4/152) for G. duodenalis, while none was positive for Cryptosporidium spp. CONCLUSION: The results showed that humans can be exposed to protozoan parasites through vegetables consumption. Further investigations can be performed to acquire new epidemiological data to assess the public health impact of these protozoan diseases in Morocco.

Alleviation of salinity and metal stress using plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria isolated from semiarid Moroccan copper-mine soils.

Phytoremediation is an eco-friendly method for rehabilitation of mine tailing. Some heavy metals and salt-tolerant plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) could be beneficial in alleviating soil salinity and heavy metal stress during plant growth. The aim of this work is to select PGPR that could be used in phytoremediation process. Twenty-nine rhizobacteria are examined for their ability to grow at increasing concentrations of NaCl, Zn, Pb, Cu, and Cd. The results showed that seventeen rhizobacteria displayed high salinity and metal tolerance up to 100 g L-1 of NaCl, 5 mM of Cd, 9 mM of Pb, 10 mM of Zn, and 6 mM of Cu. Moreover, almost all tested bacteria maintained their PGP traits under 10% of NaCl and multi-metal stress. Based on seedling bioassay under metallic and salt stress, using Peganum harmala L. and Lactuca sativa L., beneficial effects of seed inoculation with bacterial consortia (Mesorhizobium tamadayense, Enterobacter xiangfangensis, Pseudomonas azotifigens, and Streptomyces caelestis) have been observed in terms of root and shoot elongation. Our results show that the stress-tolerant consortium used has a great potential to sustain plants establishment in heavily disturbed soils.