Seroepidemiological investigation of Toxocara canis in a female Greek pregnant population in the area of Athens

Papavasilopoulos, Vasilios; Bonatsos, G.; Elefsiniotis, Ioannis; Birbas, C; Panagopoulos, P.; Trakakis, Eftihios

doi:10.12891/ceog2100.2016

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In brief, the systematic search identified 5190 potentially relevant articles. After removing duplicates and/or noneligible papers, 11 articles from six countries across four continents met the inclusion criteria in the systematic review and meta-analysis [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. Serum samples were evaluated by serology methods for Toxocara.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Shayanfar,

Bahadory,

Taghipour

et al. 2024

Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background. Toxocariasis is an important health problem caused by the parasitic species Toxocara canis (T. canis) and Toxocara cati (T. cati). Prevalence of toxocariasis in pregnant women as a vulnerable population is doubly important, and the aim of this study is to estimate the overall prevalence of toxocariasis infection in pregnant women according to the available reports. Methods. The present study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklists. A systematic search was carried out in international scientific databases (Google Scholar, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and PubMed) between 1990 and 2023. The overall prevalence of parasitic infection was estimated with a random-effects model. All analyses (overall prevalence, heterogeneity, publication bias, and sensitivity analysis) were performed with comprehensive meta-analysis (V2.2, Bio stat) software. Results. Amid the final eleven included studies, based on the random-effects model, the estimation of the pooled prevalence of Toxocara spp. was 20.8% (95% CI, 9.8–38.7%). The association between the risk factors of toxocariasis and the prevalence of the disease was not statistically significant. Conclusions. In the present study, significant prevalence was reported; however, considering the limited number of studies, it seems that the actual prevalence of the disease is higher. Therefore, it seems necessary to monitor this health problem in pregnant women.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Shayanfar,

Bahadory,

Taghipour

et al. 2024

Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Both diseases have been highly associated with low socioeconomic conditions ( 2 , 3 ), with a global overall prevalence of 19% for toxocariasis ( 4 ) and 36% for toxoplasmosis ( 5 ). Pregnant women have also been highly affected by both infections, with global seroprevalence of 1.9 and 32.9% for anti- T. gondii IgM and IgG, respectively ( 6 ), and toxocariasis prevalence of 6.4% worldwide, 7.4% in Brasília, central-western Brazil ( 7 ), 9.2% in the Shandong Province, eastern China ( 8 ), 14.5% in Caribbean countries ( 9 ), 17.2% in Athens and nearby Piraeus, Greece ( 10 ), and 21.2% in the Ilam Province, western Iran ( 11 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serosurvey of Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara spp. co-infection in pregnant women in low-income areas of Brazil

Pereira,

Ferreira,

Victorino

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionDespite human toxoplasmosis and toxocariasis having been listed among the top six most neglected parasitic zoonoses worldwide, presenting similar associated risk factors and transmission routes, few studies have been conducted in pregnant women and the consequences of concurrent infection remain to be fully established. Accordingly, the present study has serologically assessed the co-infection and associated risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara spp. in pregnant women, assisted by the public Unified National Health System (SUS) in southeastern Brazil.Materials and MethodsBlood samples were collected and tested for IgG antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii by chemiluminescence immunoassay and against Toxocara spp. by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). An epidemiological questionnaire was applied to gather socioeconomic information to assess the risk factors associated with seropositivity to toxocariasis/toxoplasmosis by univariate analysis followed by logistic regression.ResultsOverall, seropositivity was 69/280 (24.6, 95% CI: 19.96–30.01) for T. gondii and 56/280 (20.0, 95% CI: 15.73–25.08) for Toxocara spp. Co-infection was observed in 25/280 (8.9, 95% CI: 6.12–12.85) pregnant women, with increased odds (OR: 3.3, CI 95%: 1.77–6.14, p = 0.0002). Logistic regression revealed that a higher educational level (high school or college) significantly reduced the likelihood of co-infection seropositivity, owning cats increased the odds of toxocariasis, and older pregnant women presented significantly higher T. gondii seropositivity.ConclusionCo-infection herein highlights the importance of educational programs in the prevention of toxocariasis and toxoplasmosis in pregnant women and other high-risk populations.

show abstract

Serosurvey of anti-Toxocara antibodies and risk factors in adolescent and adult pregnant women of southeastern Brazil

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Toxocariasis is worldwide endemic parasitic anthropozoonosis with high risk to those in in vulnerable populations and particularly during pregnancy and childhood. Although the prevalence of anti-Toxocara spp. antibodies has been extensively studied, risk factors of pregnant women of different ages remains to be established. This study was designed to i) assess the presence of anti-Toxocara spp. antibodies in pregnant women that presented to the public health system in a city of southeastern Brazil, and ii) determine the risk factors for toxocariasis in adolescent and adult pregnant women. This cross-sectional study included 280 pregnant women (71 aged up to and including 17 years [adolescents] and 209 aged 18 years and older [adults]). Pregnant women voluntarily agreed to complete a socioeconomic questionnaire and provide serum samples. Anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies were screened by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were performed to assess the risks for toxocariasis. Overall, 20.7% of pregnant women were seropositive (33.8% of adolescents and 16.3% of adults). Prevalence in pregnant adolescents was 2.6-fold higher than in adults (Odds ration [OR]: 2.63; 95% CI: 1.42–4.86, p = 0.003). Multivariate analysis revealed that contact with soil (p = 0.01; OR = 4.76) and being in the first trimester of pregnancy (p = 0.03; OR = 0.17) had significantly greater risk of toxocariasis for adolescents, and attainment of elementary through middle school education level (p = 0.05; OR = 8.33) was a risk factor in adult pregnant women. Toxocariasis is likely underreported and neglected in adolescent pregnant women; this age group should always be monitored for toxocariasis and correspondent clinical signs, particularly at late pregnancy.

show abstract

Seroepidemiological investigation of Toxocara canis in a female Greek pregnant population in the area of Athens

Cited by 5 publications

References 6 publications

Seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Serosurvey of Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara spp. co-infection in pregnant women in low-income areas of Brazil

Serosurvey of anti-Toxocara antibodies and risk factors in adolescent and adult pregnant women of southeastern Brazil

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About