Abstract
To assess the possible influence of atopy on the clinical picture of human toxocariasis, a retrospective study was carried out using file records for patients who attended the Outpatient Clinic of Parasitology in Toulouse University Hospitals. A total of 106 file records for patients who had been diagnosed with common/covert toxocariasis were extracted from the database. Forty-nine patients (20 females and 29 males) were considered atopic since they exhibited a long (≥ 1 year) history of various allergic issues along with a titer ≥ 0.7 kIU/L for specific IgE against at least two out of nine mixes of common inhalant allergens. Fifty-seven patients (42 females and 15 males) were designated nonatopic on the basis of a negative result (<0.35 kIU/L) of the test for specific IgE. Demographic (age and sex), clinical (20 signs or symptoms) and laboratory (blood eosinophil count, eosinophil cationic protein, serum total IgE, and specific anti-Toxocara IgE) variables were investigated by bivariate analysis followed by multivariate regression analysis using “atopy” as the outcome variable. On the basis of our results, the clinical or laboratory picture of toxocaral disease was not affected by the presence of an atopic status.
Highlights
Human toxocariasis is a worldwide zoonotic helminthiasis due to infection with the larvae of Toxocara canis or Toxocara cati, roundworms that parasitize canids or felids, respectively [15]
These findings indicate that no clinical or laboratory covariate was found to be associated with atopy in our toxocariasis patients
95% confidence interval demographic, clinical or laboratory parameters showed that the outcome variable “atopy” was explained only by age and sex (Table 3)
Summary
Human toxocariasis is a worldwide zoonotic helminthiasis due to infection with the larvae of Toxocara canis or Toxocara cati, roundworms that parasitize canids or felids, respectively [15]. Adult stages of these ascarid helminths dwell in the upper digestive tract of the definitive hosts. Eggs passed in the feces must be in the soil to become embryonated and infective. Humans become infected by ingesting embryonated eggs present in nearby soil or on raw vegetables [12, 34]. Toxocaral infection results in several disorders that can be classified either as systemic (generalized) – including major visceral larva migrans (VLM) syndrome and covert/common toxocariasis – or compartmentalized when the disorders are associated with ocular
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
