Abstract
BackgroundThere is poor knowledge about the epidemiology of toxocariasis in psychiatric patients.AimsDetermine the seroepidemiology of Toxocara infection in psychiatric patients.MethodsThrough a case-control seroprevalence study, 128 psychiatric inpatients and 276 control subjects were compared for the presence of anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies in Durango, Mexico. Socio-demographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics of inpatients associated with toxocariasis were also investigated.ResultsSix of the 128 (4.7%) psychiatric inpatients, and 3 (1.1%) of the 276 controls were positive for anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies (P = 0.03). Stratification by age showed that Toxocara seroprevalence was significantly (P = 0.02) higher in patients aged ≤50 years old (6/90∶6.7%) than controls of the same age (2/163∶1.2%). While Toxocara seroprevalence was similar in patients and controls aged >50 years old. Stratification by gender showed that Toxocara seroprevalence was significantly (P = 0.03) higher in female patients (2/37∶5.4%) than in female controls (0/166∶0%). No statistically significant associations between Toxocara seropositivity and clinical characteristics were found. In contrast, Toxocara seropositivity was associated with consumption of goat meat and raw sea snail.ConclusionsThis is the first report of toxocariasis in psychiatric inpatients in Mexico. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to elucidate the association of toxocariasis with psychiatric diseases. The role of the consumption of goat meat and raw sea snail in the transmission of Toxocara deserve further investigation.
Highlights
Toxocara is a parasite widely distributed around the world [1,2]
Stratification by gender showed that Toxocara seroprevalence was significantly (P = 0.03) higher in female patients (2/37:5.4%) than in female controls (0/166:0%)
The increased Toxocara seroprevalence found in the present study agrees with that found in a descriptive study in Sicily, Italy [12], where researchers found the highest seroprevalence of Toxocara antibodies in psychiatric patients (13%) as compared with farmers (9.4%), children (1.9%), and blood donors (1.2%)
Summary
Toxocara eggs are shed by infected dogs and cats that contaminate the local environment [3,4]. If embryonated eggs are accidentally ingested by humans, larvae hatch and disseminate via the bloodstream to anywhere in the body including liver, lungs, muscles, eyes, and central nervous system [2,5]. Infection with Toxocara may occur by ingesting Toxocara larvae from undercooked giblets [6]. There is very little knowledge about the epidemiology of Toxocara infection in psychiatric patients. This study was aimed to determine the seroprevalence of Toxocara infection in psychiatric inpatients in Durango, Mexico. Socio-demographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics of psychiatric inpatients associated with toxocariasis were investigated. There is poor knowledge about the epidemiology of toxocariasis in psychiatric patients
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