ASSESSMENT OF PARASITOLOGICAL STATUS OF COOKED GROUNDNUT SOLD IN UNIVERSITY OF CROSS RIVER STATE (UNICROSS) CAMPUS, CALABAR

Food safety remains a major public health concern, particularly in environments where readyto-eat street foods are widely consumed. This study evaluated the parasitological status of cooked groundnuts sold by vendors within the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) Calabar campus to determine the risk of food-borne parasitic infections among consumers. A total of thirty samples were randomly collected from five different vending locations and examined using standard parasitological techniques, including sample preparation, microscopic identification of eggs and cysts, and prevalence calculation. Results revealed that 9 (30%) of the samples were contaminated, with Ascaris lumbricoides (44.4%) being the most frequently detected parasite, followed by Entamoeba histolytica (22.2%), Giardia lamblia (22.2%), and Trichuris trichiura (11.1%). The prevalence of contamination varied across vending locations, with the highest recorded at the university gate area (37.5%) and the lowest at the student market area (20%), suggesting that environmental exposure and human traffic influence contamination levels. The findings indicate that cooked groundnuts sold on campus may act as vehicles for parasitic transmission, reflecting lapses in food handling and hygiene practices. This underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions, including regular vendor training on food hygiene, proper storage of cooked foods, and monitoring by public health authorities to mitigate the risk of parasitic infections among students and staff. The study contributes to the understanding of parasitological contamination in street-vended foods and provides a basis for policy formulation and public health education within university settings. Keywords: Cooked groundnuts, parasitological contamination, street-vended foods, food safety, UNICROSS Calabar, public health.