en تخصصي Special Original article Original article <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><strong>Background</strong>: Raw or minimally processed vegetables can be important vehicles of </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">food-borne</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> parasites. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the parasitic infections in raw vegetables from Kermanshah, Western Iran and their relation with season and washing procedures.<br> <strong>Methods</strong>: From January to December 2013, raw vegetable samples were collected from Kermanshah, Western Iran. The samples were </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">divided in</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> three different groups, including unwashed, traditionally washed, and standard washed groups. After preparation of the samples, they were examined microscopically for the presence of parasites. Using Chi-square test, the analysis was carried out by SPSS software for </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">windows</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> (version 16.0).<br> <strong>Results</strong>: With regards to washing procedures of vegetable samples, intestinal parasites were found in 63.7, 49.1, and 36.9% of unwashed, traditionally washed, and standard washed samples, respectively showing a statistically significant difference (<em>p</em><0.05). A meaningful difference (<em>p</em><0.05) was observed in the contamination rate of samples during various seasons as summer>spring>autumn>winter. However, no significant relationship was found between contamination rates and types of vegetables (<em>p</em>>0.05).<br> <strong>Conclusion</strong>: Raw vegetables sold in major markets in Kermanshah, Western Iran could be considered as potential vehicles for </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">transmission</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> of parasitic infections to consumers. Regular education must be applied about standard washing and disinfecting procedures of the raw eaten vegetables to reduce exposure of Iranian population to the vegetable-borne parasites.</span></p> Vegetables, Parasites, Risk Factors, Food Safety 37 41 http://jfqhc.ssu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-362-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Z. Salavati No Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran A.A. Chalehchaleh aachalechale@razi.ac.ir Yes Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran F. Rezaei No Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran