A dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (dot-ELISA) was standardized using excretory-secretory antigens ofKey words: Toxocara canis -toxocariasis -dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay -ELISA Human toxocariasis is a world-wide helminthic zoonosis due to the human infection by larvae of Toxocara canis, the common ascarid of dogs, and also by the cat ascarid T. cati (Schantz & Glickman 1983, Despommier 2003. The incidence of human toxocariasis is unknown because toxocariasis is not a communicable disease in the majority of the countries. However, many cases of this disease have been reported throughout the world (Glickman & Schantz 1981, Despommier 2003.Humans are infected by ingestion of embryonated T. canis eggs. Children playing in areas contaminated with dog faeces are in higher risk, because of their likelihood of ingesting soil. Prevalence of Toxocara infestation of dogs and the resulting contamination of the ground is relatively high in many countries all over the world. Reported data range from 0 to 93% for dog infestation (Glickman & Schantz 1981) and 15 to 78% for soil contamination (Gillespie 1988, Magnaval et al. 2001. It has been determined that in Peru from 24 to 80% of soil samples in public playgrounds and parks are contaminated with Toxocara eggs (Buitrón 1976, Guerrero 1995, Lescano et al. 1998, Chavez et al. 2000, Dávalos et al. 2000.Although the clinical features vary, two syndromes are recognized: visceral larva migrans (VLM) and ocular larva migrans (OLM). VLM is usually detected in young children (1 to 5 years of age) with a history of geophagia and/or exposure to puppies. It is a self-limited, rarely lethal disease characterized by fever, cough, wheeze, pallor, malaise, asthma, weight loss, hepatomegaly, and marked eosinophilia (Schantz 1989 mus and, more rarely, eye pain (Shields 1984). Another clinical manifestations of Toxocara infection are "common toxocariasis" in adults and "covert toxocariasis" in children (Schantz 1989, Magnaval et al. 2001.Diagnosis of toxocariasis is based on clinical and serological data because of the difficulty in detecting larvae from tissues. The test currently employed for the serodiagnosis of toxocariasis is ELISA using excretory-secretory antigens from T. canis second-stage larvae (TES) (De Savigny et al. 1979, Jacquier et al. 1991. However, this technique has some drawbacks, including the need for trained personnel, requirement of special equipment, the lack of reproducible reading due to plate-to-plate variation, and may be troublesome to perform under field conditions. Dot-ELISA test, a modification of the standard ELISA test, offers a simple and less expensive tool for toxocariasis detection. The dot-ELISA has been successfully adapted for the detection of parasitic diseases in humans as leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, toxoplasmosis, and hydatidosis (Pappas et al. 1984, Boctor et al. 1987, Rogan et al. 1991, Elsaid et al. 1995. A dot-ELISA for diagnosis of human toxocariasis was described (Camargo et al. 1992). The present study was conducted to standa...

SUMMARYThe aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of the infection by Toxocara in the general population of the Amazonian city of Yurimaguas, Peru. From March to August 2008, a total of 300 subjects were sampled and tested by means of a Toxocara ELISA-IgG test. A clinical and epidemiological questionnaire was used to assess the symptomatology and risk factors associated with human toxocariasis. The overall rate of seropositivity was 35.66%, with a significant high proportion in children (p < 0.001). The clinical evaluation revealed that 95.33% of the seropositive group had some type of symptomatology: headache (66.36%), respiratory compromise (63.55%), abdominal pain (54.21%), cutaneous signs (40.19%) and ocular manifestations (36.45%), and almost all of them were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Furthermore, 56.07% of the seropositive subjects presented at least one intestinal pathogen parasite with predominance of helminthes, but without significant association (p = 0.334). The analysis of risk factors showed only that the use of public places and geophagia exhibited a significant association with the seropositivity (p < 0.001). Clinical, serological and epidemiological findings associated to infection with Toxocara were observed in the present study and future studies should be done to assess this serious health problem.

To improve the serodiagnosis of human toxocariasis, a sensitive and specific enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (EITB-IgG) test was developed and evaluated using Toxocara canis larvae excretory-secretory antigens for detecting anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies. The EITB-IgG profile of toxocariasis was characterized by comparing 27 sera from patients with toxocariasis, 110 sera from healthy subjects and 186 sera from patients with other helminth diseases (ascariasis, ancylostomiasis, trichuriasis, enterobiasis, strongyloidiasis, hymenolepiasis, diphyllobothriasis, taeniasis, cysticercosis, hydatidosis and fascioliasis). Antigenic bands of 24, 28, 30, 35, 56, 117, 136

SUMMARYThe aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of human toxocariasis in Cauday district, Cajamarca, Peru, using a dot-ELISA test. From June to October 2005, a total of 256 adult subjects were studied. Blood samples were collected for serology by a dot-ELISA test and for hematological examination. Parasitological examination was also carried out in stool samples to check cross-reactions in the dot-ELISA. The frequency observed was 44.92%, with a significant higher proportion of positivity in male subjects. From subjects with positive serology, 45.6% had respiratory symptoms, 40.44% abdominal pain, 32.35% hepatic symptoms, 14.7% cutaneous signs, 13.23% ocular manifestations, 43.38% eosinophilia, and all of these were statistically associated to serology. Among the population evaluated, 90.23% (231/256) were parasitized. From subjects with positive serology, 92.17% had at least one intestinal parasite and the most frequent were: Blastocystis hominis (68.38%), Giardia lamblia (28.68%), Hymenolepis nana (20.0%), Ascaris lumbricoides (15.65%), Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar (13.24%), Cyclospora cayetanensis (4.41%), Cryptosporidium sp. (1.47%), Enterobius vermicularis (0.87%), Strongyloides stercoralis (0.87%), Taenia sp. (0.87%), and Trichuris trichiura (0.87%). The rate of false positives in the dot-ELISA test was improved by serum absorption each with A. suum antigens, with a decrease of cross-reactions. In conclusion, human toxocariasis is highly frequent in this population and some risk factors like dog/cat ownership, presence of pets within house, and previous history of geophagia were observed in the present study.

SUMMARYThe aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of human toxocariosis in a child population from Morrope district, Lambayeque, Peru. From October to December 2005, 182 school children (96 male and 86 female) were studied. Blood samples were collected for Toxocara ELISA-IgG test and hematological examination. Additionally, stool samples were collected for coproparasitological examination to check cross reactions. We found frequency of positives in 32.4% (59/182) with a significant higher proportion of positivity in male children (p < 0.00001). 71.2% of the children with positive serology (52 male and seven female), were between five and 10 years old, 77.96% had respiratory symptoms, 61.02% had ocular manifestations, 38.98% had hepatic symptoms, 38.98% had mild or moderate eosinophilia, signs statistically associated with seropositivity. 83.5% of studied population had some intestinal parasite, such as: Blastocystis hominis (53.3%), Giardia lamblia (31.3%), Entamoeba coli (29.1%), Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar (1.1%), Hymenolepis nana (5.49%), and Ascaris lumbricoides (3.3%), but they had not any association with serology results. The ownership of dogs or/and cats were significantly associated with seropositivity to antiToxocara antibodies although the presence of such pets within the house was not. In conclusion, clinical and serological evidence of Toxocara infection exists in the studied population.