Health warnings have been issued over ready-to-eat salad bags due to a rise in food poisoning outbreaks.
Research has highlighted potentially-deadly contamination fears, following 3,320 salad samples between October 2021 and September 2022 and found that over 4 per cent of the leaves were contaminated with toxoplasma gondii oocysts.
The contamination has now been reported across 10 European countries including the UK, the study, published in the journal Eurosurveillance found.
The research says: "The parasite Toxoplasma gondii can cause severe disease in humans. People can acquire the parasite by eating raw or undercooked infected meat or unwashed fruits or vegetables contaminated with the parasite.
"We wanted to investigate T. gondii in commercial ready-to eat (RTE) salads in European countries to estimate the importance of these food products as sources of T. gondii."
This bacteria can be passed on by digesting cat faeces, which can contaminate food and water, making salad that is washed or watered with dirty water a prime place for bacteria.
Other research reported this week showed that the bacteria "can seriously disrupt the brain function of intermediate hosts, potentially including humans".
Research by the National Institute of Health has previously said that half of the UK population show signs of past infection by the age of 50, and once acquired, parasites remain in human tissues for life.
It can then cause a problem later in life for people who have a weakened immune system, which can happen during treatment for cancer or while taking immunosuppressant drugs.
According to the Food Standards Agency, you should always "wash fruit and vegetables with water before you eat them to make sure that they are clean. You should wash them under a running tap, or in a bowl of fresh water, making sure to rub their skin under the water."
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Symptoms of toxoplasmosis
According to the NHS website, toxoplasmosis does not usually cause any symptoms and most people do not know they've had it.
Some people may have flu-like symptoms such as:
- high temperature
- headache
- sore throat
- aching body
- swollen glands
- feeling tired
- feeling sick or being sick
Some people may have more serious symptoms including:
- confusion
- blurred vision
- slurred speech
- unsteady walking
The NHS adds that toxoplasmosis is not usually serious and normally gets better on its own. But it can cause serious problems if you:
- get it while you’re pregnant
- have a weakened immune system – for example, if you have HIV or are having chemotherapy
- have more severe symptoms such as confusion, blurred vision or slurred speech
If you have a weakened immune system toxoplasmosis may cause problems with your eyes, brain, heart or lungs.
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