Abstract
BackgroundToxocariasis, which is predominantly caused by Toxocara canis (T. canis) infection, is a common zoonotic parasitosis worldwide; however, the status of toxocariasis endemicity in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) remains unknown.MethodsA seroepidemiological investigation was conducted among 166 primary school children (PSC) aged 7–12 years from the capital area of the RMI. Western blots based the excretory-secretory antigens of larval T. canis (TcES) was employed, and children were considered seropositive if their serum reacted with TcES when diluted at a titer of 1:64. Information regarding demographic characteristics of and environmental risk factors affecting these children was collected using a structured questionnaire. A logistic regression model was applied to conduct a multivariate analysis.ResultsThe overall seropositive rate of T. canis infection was 86.75% (144/166). In the univariate analysis, PSC who exhibited a history of feeding dogs at home (OR = 5.52, 95% CI = 1.15–26.61, p = 0.02) and whose parents were employed as nonskilled workers (OR = 2.86, 95% CI = 1.08–7.60, p = 0.03) demonstrated a statistically elevated risk of contracting T. canis infections. Cleaning dog huts with gloves might prevent infection, but yielded nonsignificant effects. The multivariate analysis indicated that parental occupation was the critical risk factor in this study because its effect remained significant after adjusting for other variables; by contrast, the effect of dog feeding became nonsignificant because of other potential confounding factors. No associations were observed among gender, age, consuming raw meat or vegetables, drinking unboiled water, cleaning dog huts with gloves, or touching soil.ConclusionsThis is the first serological investigation of T. canis infection among PSC in the RMI. The high seroprevalence indicates the commonness of T. canis transmission and possible human risk. The fundamental information that the present study provides regarding T. canis epidemiology can facilitate developing strategies for disease prevention and control.
Highlights
Toxocariasis, which is predominantly caused by Toxocara canis (T. canis) infection, is a common zoonotic parasitosis worldwide; the status of toxocariasis endemicity in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) remains unknown
Of the 166 primary school children (PSC) serum samples, 144 (86.75%; 144/166) tested positive for Toxocara Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies according to T. canis larval excretorysecretory (TcES)-WB
The risk factors analysis indicated that the seropositive rates were 88.05% (140/159) among PSC who exhibited histories of feeding dogs, 88.89% (56/63) among those who cleaned dog huts, 80.0% (8/10) among those who Female (N = 76)
Summary
Toxocariasis, which is predominantly caused by Toxocara canis (T. canis) infection, is a common zoonotic parasitosis worldwide; the status of toxocariasis endemicity in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) remains unknown. The ascarids that cause human toxocariasis are Toxocara canis (T. canis) and, likely to a lesser extent, Toxocara cati (T. cati). The definitive hosts of T. canis and T. cati are dogs and cats, respectively; these ascarids inhabit the lumen of the small intestine [1]. Humans are one of several accidental hosts, and are primarily infected by ingesting parasite eggs or, to a lesser extent, by consuming chicken or cow livers [4]. Human infections with Toxocara spp. are typically asymptomatic, larval migration into the internal organs via the blood can cause various clinical syndromes including visceral larva migrans and ocular larva migrans. The manifestation of symptoms in human toxocariasis depends on multiple factors, including which organs are affected and the magnitude of the infection [3,5]
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