Seroprevalence Of Toxocara Infection Research Articles

Seroprevalence of toxocariasis and its related risk factors among municipal street sweepers in Shiraz District in Fars Province, southern Iran

BackgroundSweeping the street is a hazardous job that exposes the workers to soil-transmitted diseases, in particular, toxocariasis. In this cross-sectional study, the seroprevalence of Toxocara infection among street sweepers in Shiraz, southern Iran was assessed. Methods: Overall, 384 subjects, aged 24–64 years (all men), were randomly selected for the detection of antibodies to Toxocara by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Anti-Toxocara antibodies were detected in sera of 101(26.3%) out of 384 subjects. Most of the seropositive cases were in the age group of 31–50 years, yet no significant difference was found between age and Toxocara seropositivity (P > 0.05). Out of 101 seropositive cases, 21(20.8%) had a work experience of fewer than 5 years and 80 cases (79.2%) had a work experience greater than or equal to 5 years. However, no significant association was observed between work experience and Toxocara seropositivity. Conclusion: The findings of the study indicate that street sweepers are at high risk of infection with Toxocara infection. Therefore, appropriate preventive measures should be taken to reduce the risk of infection in this vulnerable group.

Seroepidemiology of Toxocara canis in Children under 14 Years Referring to Laboratories of Sistan and Baluchestan Province in Southeast of Iran

The aim of the present survey was to assess thr seroepidemiologic and parasitological aspects of Toxocara canis infection in children under 14 yr old. Overall, 963 sera were collected from children in the Sistan and Baluchistan Province, Southeast of Iran during the period from Sep 2015 to Jun 2016. IgG antibody against T. canis in the subjects' sera was evaluated using the commercial ELISA kit. Anti-Toxocara IgG were detected in the serum of 17 (1.7%) of the participants. In the examined children, the highest presence of anti-Toxocara antibodies was 2.1% (9/418) in 6-10-yr olds, which was higher than other age groups (P<0.05). Anti-Toxocara antibodies were significantly higher in males (2.4% or 12/492) than in females (1.1% or 5/471) (P<0.03). Highest serological prevalence of T. canis occurred in tribes (5.5% or 4/69), followed by rural areas (0.9% or 7/757), while in the urban area it was 0.1% (6/163) (P<0.01). A significant association was seen between the serological prevalence of T. canis and laboratory findings such as eosinophilia (P=0.001) and red blood cell count (P=0.02). Seroprevalence of Toxocara infection is high among children living in the poor regions of southeast Iran.

Seroepidemiology, modifiable risk factors and clinical symptoms of Toxocara spp. infection in northern Iran.

Toxocariasis is one of the most important and widespread neglected tropical infectious diseases. We designed a cross-sectional study to assess the seroepidemiological aspects of toxocariasis among the general population in northern Iran. A total of 630 rural subjects were enrolled to participate in the study. The presence of anti-Toxocara immunoglobulin G (IgG) was tested using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A structured questionnaire was also used to evaluate the potential risk factors and related clinical signs/symptoms. The presence of anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies was detected in 148 of the 630 rural subjects (23.5% [95% confidence interval {CI} 21.8 to 25.1]). By multivariate analysis, age (odds ratio [OR] 2.89 [95% CI 1 to -8.3], p=0.04), eating improperly washed vegetables (OR 4.05 [95% CI 2.47 to 6.64], p<0.001), contact with dogs (OR 3.31 [95% CI 2.13 to 5.12], p<0.001) and exposure to soil (OR 3.56 [95% CI 2.13 to 5.13], p<0.001) were significantly associated with the seroprevalence of Toxocara. The clinical study also demonstrated that the seroprevalence of Toxocara infection was significantly associated with asthma (OR 3.78 [95% CI 1.63 to 8.75], p<0.001) and ophthalmic disorder (OR 1.83 [95% CI 1.04 to 3.21], p=0.034). The findings proved that residents of rural communities in tropical regions may be heavily exposed to Toxocara spp. We highly recommend more investigations in high-risk groups.

Seroprevalence and risk factors for Toxocara infection among children in a rural community in Fars province, southern Iran.

The current study was performed to find out the seroprevalence of Toxocara infection in children living in a rural community in Fars province, southern Iran. Venous blood was taken from 617 children and evaluated for anti-Toxocara antibodies, using an ELISA system. Of the 617 studied children, 318 (51.5%) were boys and 299 (48.5%) were girls. Mean age of the participants was 9.2 (±10.7) years. Most cases of the recruited subjects (37.4%) were in the age group of 0-5years. Anti-Toxocara antibodies were detected in sera of 39 (6.3%) of children. From these, 23 (62.2%) were boys and 14 (37.8%) were girls. The infection rate was almost the same in different age groups. No statistically significant differences were seen between seropositivity to Toxocara infection and gender or age of the participants. Dogs or cats ownership was not associated with Toxocara seropositivity. The adjusted associations of the study variables suggested that the visceral leishmaniasis (VL) seropositivity is significantly associated with the seroprevalence of Toxocara infection (P<0.001). Findings of the current study revealed that Toxocara infection is a common infection among children in the studied rural community in Iran. Preventive measurements are necessary to minimize the rate of Toxocara infection in children in such communities.

Seroprevalence of Toxocara infection among healthy individuals referred to the medical center laboratories in Tehran City, Capital of Iran

Background: Toxocarosis is a zoonotic disease with worldwide distribution. Humans’ infection occurred by incidental ingestion of eggs shed in feces of dogs or cats. Studies on general population are rare in Iran. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated seroprevalence, and risk factors associated with toxocariasis among the healthy individuals in Tehran, capital if Iran. M aterials and Methods: In total, 374 sera samples were investigated for the presence of anti-Toxocara IgG. We applied ELISA as screening test using available commercial kit. In addition, demographic data were obtained from participant’s questionnaires. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 16 . R es ults: The overall seroprevalence of toxocariasis was found 5.6% (21/374). Regarding the socio-demographic variables, age (P<0.001) and eating unwashed vegetables (P=0.049) were significantly associated to toxocariasis in univariate analysis. In the logistic regression analysis, only age (P<0.001) was identified as potential risk factor associated with Toxocara infection. C onclusion: This study revealed that seroprevalence of toxocariasis is relatively low in the healthy individuals in Tehran. We suggest carrying out further studies in the different part of Iran and investigate on the prevalence of toxocariasis in high-risk groups such as asthma, hyper-eosinophilic, epilepsy, rheumatism and schizophrenia patients.

Seroepidemiological study and associated risk factors of Toxocara canis infection among preschool children in Osun State, Nigeria

Human toxocariasis is caused by the nematode, Toxocara canis and it is a poorly understood phenomenon in Nigeria. Seroepidemiological studies have not been previously carried out among the preschool aged children in Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted in pre-school children in four communities from Osun State, Nigeria between January and July 2016. A total of 308 children Aged 9 months and 5 years were studied comprising 53.2% (164/308) male and 46.8% (144/308) female. Blood samples were collected and screened for the presence of anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies by Western blot analysis based on the excretory-secretory antigens of larva T. canis (TcES), targeting low molecular weight bands of 24 − 35kDa specific for T. canis. Questionnaires were given to parents/guardians of the studied children to collect information regarding relationship between infection and host factors. The overall seroprevalence of Toxocara infection was 37.3%. The seroprevalence in the studied preschool children ranged from 18.2% in children less than one year old to a max of 57.6% in children aged 3 years and above. The logistic regression analysis of risk factors showed that children’s age (odds ratio (OR)=6.12, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.25–29.90, p=0.02), contact with dogs (OR=3.17, 95% CI=1.40–7.20, p=0.01) and parent’s religion (OR=0.54, 95% CI=0.32–0.91, p=0.02) were the risk factors associated with Toxocara infection. However, after adjustment by multivariate logistic regression analysis, contact with dogs (p=0.02) remained the only statistically significant risk factor. Preschool children were exposed early in life to T. canis infection as 18.18% of children less than one year old were infected. This is the first serological investigation of T. canis infection among preschool children in Nigeria. The results show high levels of exposure to T. canis infection among the studied group and contact with the dog plays the predominant risk factor. It indicates high transmission with the consequent of visceral or ocular larva migrans and neurologic disorder in these children. The results also provide baseline data for effective prevention strategies of toxocariasis in Southwest Nigeria and the study recommends prompt interventional measures, particularly health education on personal hygiene.

Seroprevalence, disease awareness, and risk factors for Toxocara canis infection among primary schoolchildren in Makoko, an urban slum community in Nigeria

In this study, we investigated the seroprevalence of Toxocara canis infection in southern Nigeria, which previously was unknown, in addition to evaluating disease awareness and potential risk factors for schoolchildren in an urban slum community. In total, 366 primary schoolchildren were investigated for the presence of anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies. Blood was collected and screened by a Western blot analysis based on the excretory–secretory antigens of larval T. canis (TcES), targeting low molecular weight bands of 24–35kDa specific for T. canis. Children were considered seropositive if their serum reacted with TcES when diluted to a titer of 1:32. Questionnaires concerning possible risk factors were given to the schoolchildren to acquire data on this infection. The overall seroprevalence of Toxocara infection was 86.1% (315/366). The logistic regression analysis of risk factors showed that children's age (odds ratio (OR)=2.88, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.08–7.66, p=0.03), contact with dogs (OR=0.51, 95% CI=0.28–0.94, p=0.03), the age of the dog (OR=0.34, 95% CI=0.18–0.68, p=0.002), the feeding location of the dog (OR=0.31, 95% CI=0.12–0.79, p=0.01), the consumption of raw vegetables (OR=0.89, 95% CI=0.54–1.48, p=0.004), and the drinking of unboiled water (OR=0.48, 95% CI=0.26–0.90, p=0.02) were risk factors associated with Toxocara infection. Although there was a high awareness of dogs being hosts of some parasites in this study, not much was known about T. canis. This is the first serological investigation of T. canis infection among primary schoolchildren in southern Nigeria. The high seroprevalence recorded is an indication of high transmission with the consequent risk of visceral or ocular larval migrans and neurologic toxocariasis in these children. Our findings suggest the need for prompt interventional measures, particularly health education on personal hygiene.

Lack of Association between Toxocara Exposure and Suicide Attempts in Psychiatric Patients.

Infection with Toxocara may affect the central nervous system. A high seroprevalence of Toxocara infection has been reported in psychiatric patients. To the best of our knowledge, there is no previous report about an association of Toxocara infection with suicide attempts. Therefore, we sought to determine whether Toxocara exposure is associated with suicide attempts in psychiatric patients. We studied 282 psychiatric outpatients (156 with suicide attempts and 126 without suicide attempts). Sera of patients were analyzed for the presence of anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies by using a commercially available enzyme immunoassay. One of the 156 (0.6%) suicide attempters and 1 (0.8%) of the 126 controls were positive for anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies (OR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.04–13.02; P = 1.00). Toxocara seropositivity was significantly higher (P = 0.01) in male patients with consumption of raw dried goat meat than male patients without this consumption. Results suggest that Toxocara exposure is not associated with suicide attempts in psychiatric outpatients in Durango City, Mexico. However, further studies with larger samples sizes to confirm our results should be conducted. Too few patients were seropositive to assess further associations of Toxocara exposure with sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics of the psychiatric patients.

Low Seroprevalence of Toxocara Infection in Schizophrenic Inpatients in Durango, Mexico: A Case Control Study

Psychiatric patients have a higher seroprevalence of toxocariasis than general population. However, there is poor knowledge about any specific psychiatric diagnosis associated with toxocariasis. The aim of the study was to determine whether seropositivity to Toxocara was associated with schizophrenia. Through an age and gender-matched case-control seroprevalence study in Durango City, Mexico, 50 schizophrenic inpatients in a public psychiatric hospital and 100 control subjects of the general population were compared for the presence of anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies. One of the 50 (2%) schizophrenic inpatients, and 3 (3%) of the 100 controls were positive for anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies. No statistically significant difference in Toxocara seroprevalence among cases and controls was found (P=0.59). The Toxocara positive schizophrenic patient suffered from paranoid schizophrenia (F20.0) and had a number of putative risk factors for Toxocara exposure including contact with cats, dogs and other animals, worked in agriculture, and consumed undercooked meat, unwashed fruits and vegetables, and untreated water. Results suggest that seroprevalence of Toxocara infection was low and not associated with schizophrenia in psychiatric inpatients in Durango, Mexico. However, further studies to elucidate the association of toxocariasis with schizophrenia are needed.

Seroprevalence of toxocara infection in school children in Shiraz, southern Iran.

The presence of anti-Toxocara antibodies in the sera of school children of Shiraz, southern Iran, was studied by means of an indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay with excretory/secretory antigen of infective stage larva. A total of 519 individuals of both sexes aged 6-13 years were analysed. The total prevalence was 25.6 per cent. A higher rate of infection was observed in urban (30.15 per cent) than rural (20.2 per cent) residents. Most potential risk factors were not related to Toxocara prevalence and no differences existed between socioeconomic classes except for parental education. Neither age or sex was found to be significantly associated with positive serology.

Seroprevalence of Toxocara infection in middle-class and disadvantaged children in northern Spain (Gipuzkoa, Basque Country).

The prevalence of human toxocarosis in disadvantaged socioeconomic population in Europe is unknown. In Gipuzkoa the seroprevalence in middle-class children 2- to 5-years-old, and 6- to 16-year-olds, was zero (n = 135) and 4.4% (n = 320), respectively. In contrast, among socially and economically disadvantaged children the figures were 37% (n = 27) and 65.7% (n = 64). This high prevalence obliges us to consider toxocarosis as a public health problem.