Frequency of Toxocariasis Among Asthmatic Children in Northeastern Iran

Abstract

Background: Toxocariasis is a zoonotic and telluric disease caused by the Toxocara species mostly in tropical areas. The relationship between toxocariasis and asthma has always been a subject of discussion. Objectives: This study evaluated the seroepidemiology of Toxocara among asthmatic children. Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated 150 children aged 3 -12 years with asthma presentations, who were referred to Dr. Sheikh Hospital of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences from April 2017 to March 2018. Serum samples were tested for the presence of anti-Toxocara antibodies using Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Positive sera were confirmed by the Western Blotting (WB) method. Results: Out of 150 asthmatic patients, Toxocara immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody responses were observed in two (1.3%) patients by ELISA and one (0.6%) patient by both ELISA and WB. Moreover, none of the patients was detected as hypereosinophilia. Conclusions: It seems there is no significant relationship between Toxocara infection and asthma in Northeastern Iran. These findings suggest the need for WB immunodiagnosis and ELISA using Toxocara antigens to improve human toxocariasis diagnosis in patients with asthma.

Allergic asthma manifestations in human and seropositivity to Toxocara, a soil-transmitted helminth of carnivores: A case-control study and scoping review of the literature

“…Several cross-sectional studies were conducted to describe the serum levels of anti- Toxocara antibodies in asthmatic individuals, showing different results in different geographical areas ( Table 4 ). For instance, between 2016 and 2020, four studies were conducted on this topic in Iran, in which no significant asthma-Toxocara relationships were found in two studies, while the remaining studies indicate significant results ( 55 , 59 , 75 , 76 ). The same is true in Brazil, where the data indicating significant and non-significant relationships were documented in three and four studies, respectively ( 57 , 64 , 65 , 71 , 72 , 77 , 78 , 82 ).…”