Seroprevalence and risk factors for Toxocara infection in children from an urban large setting in Northeast Brazil

Mendonça, Lívia Ribeiro; Figueiredo, Camila A.; Esquivel, Renata Miranda; Fiaccone, Rosemeire Leovigildo; Pontes-de-Carvalho, Lain Carlos; Cooper, Phillip J.; Barreto, Maurício L.; Alcantara-Neves, Neuza Maria

doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2013.06.018

Cited by 50 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…This result is similar to the prevalence found in other studies of children 15 years of age, such as those from nonAmazonian Brazil (21.8-48.4%), [34][35][36][37] Nigeria (29.6%), 38 Iran (25-25.6%), 39,40 and Argentina (23-37.9%). 41,42 There are few studies published about toxocariasis epidemiology in the Brazilian Amazon.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…63 However, there may have been some degree of cross-reaction with T. trichiura 65 that could not be properly controlled. No decrease in the specificity of the excretory antigen ELISA has been found in the literature after incubation with Ancylostoma antigens 36 ; therefore, this possible bias is minimized in our study. Recently, Mendonça and others (2013) 36 described a new in-house ELISA procedure using preincubation with Ascaris lumbricoides antigens instead of A. suum antigens, which resulted in higher Toxocara ELISA specificity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

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Epidemiology and Control of Child Toxocariasis in the Western Brazilian Amazon – A Population-Based Study

Oliart-Guzmán¹,

Delfino²,

Martins³

et al. 2014

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Abstract. Toxocara spp. infection and the seroconversion rate in the Amazon have been poorly investigated. This study analyzed individual and household-level risk factors for the presence of IgG antibodies to Toxocara spp. in urban Amazonian children over a period of 7 years and evaluated the seroconversion rates over a 1-year follow-up. In children 59 months of age, the overall prevalence rate was 28.08% in 2003 and 23.35% in 2010. The 2010-2011 seroconversion rates were 13.90% for children 6-59 months of age and 12.30% for children 84-143 months of age. Multilevel logistic regression analysis identified child age, previous wheezing, and current infection with hookworm as significant associated factors for Toxocara spp. seropositivity in 2003. In 2010, age, previous helminthiasis, and having a dog were associated with seropositivity, whereas having piped water inside the household was a protective factor. Control programs mainly need to target at-risk children, water quality control, and animal deworming strategies.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Epidemiology and Control of Child Toxocariasis in the Western Brazilian Amazon – A Population-Based Study

Oliart-Guzmán¹,

Delfino²,

Martins³

et al. 2014

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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“…offering environmental contamination, which extends the spreading of the infection among the human populations [10]. The growing numbers of dogs (pet and stray dogs) have resulted in closer contact between these animals and humans, enhancing the level of exposure [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Considering that toxocarosis is one of the most common helminthosis worldwide, this neglected disease has been shown through seroprevalence studies to be especially prevalent in children from socio-economically disadvantaged populations both in the tropics and sub-tropical regions as well as in many developing countries [5], [10], [12]–[18]. However, epidemiological knowledge regarding the prevalence and risks associated with Toxocara infection is limited in China [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxocara Seroprevalence among Clinically Healthy Individuals, Pregnant Women and Psychiatric Patients and Associated Risk Factors in Shandong Province, Eastern China

et al. 2014

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BackgroundToxocarosis is a widespread zoonosis caused by the ascarid nematodes Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati, which primarily infect dogs and cats, respectively. Most human infections with Toxocara are asymptomatic; however, some infected individuals may develop a serious illness and even death. Nevertheless, epidemiological knowledge regarding the prevalence and risks associated with Toxocara infection is limited in China. Therefore, we performed a cross-sectional pilot study and estimated the seroprevalence of Toxocara infection in humans in Shandong Province, eastern China for the first time, from June 2011 to July 2013, involving clinically healthy individuals, pregnant women and psychiatric patients, aiming to attract public attention to Toxocara infection.Methodology/Principle FindingsSeroprevalence of Toxocara was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay based on a cross-sectional study conducted in Qingdao and Weihai, Shandong Province, eastern China. Factors potentially associated with Toxocara infection were identified by logistic regression analysis. The overall Toxocara seroprevalence among the study population (n = 2866) was 12.25%, and a significantly higher seroprevalence in psychiatric patients (16.40%, 73/445) than that in clinically healthy individuals (13.07%, 187/1431) and pregnant women (9.19%, 91/990) was revealed. Univariate analyses suggested that keeping dogs at home (OR = 0.06, 95% CI 0.05–0.08, P<0.001), contact with cats and dogs (OR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.33–0.53, P<0.001) and exposure with soil (OR = 0.37, 95% CI 0.28–0.49, P<0.001) were risk factors associated with Toxocara infection.Conclusions/SignificanceThe present study revealed, for the first time, that human infection with Toxocara is common in eastern China, posing a significant public health concern. Increasing human and dog populations, population movements and climate change all will serve to increase the importance of this zoonosis. Further studies under controlled conditions are necessary to define potential morbidity associated with Toxocara infection.

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“…10,[24][25][26][27][28][29][31][32][33][34][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44] One study did not describe the diagnostic methodology applied. 35 As T. canis and T. cati cannot be distinguished serologically, we identified the study population as having toxocariasis.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Systematic Review of Toxocariasis: A Neglected But High-Prevalence Disease in Brazil

Fialho¹,

Corrêa²

2016

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Abstract. Toxocariasis is an anthropozoonosis that occurs in all parts of the world. In particular, this disease can often be found in developing countries and in regions, where basic sanitation conditions are poor. However, industrialized countries have reported seroprevalence rates as high as 14.2% in humans. The definitive hosts of the disease are dogs and cats, whereas humans are a paratenic host. To determine the burden of toxocariasis in Brazil, we followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to conduct a systematic review of the literature. Using keywords and applying the established criteria, we identified 160 publications and selected 22 articles for further analysis. The seroprevalence of toxocariasis in various regions of the country ranged from 4.2% to 65.4%. The highest prevalence was found in the northeast region, although the majority of the studies identified were from the southeast region. The findings suggest the importance of raising awareness among health professionals and public authorities about the fact that toxocariasis is a health problem.

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Seroprevalence and risk factors for Toxocara infection in children from an urban large setting in Northeast Brazil

Cited by 50 publications

References 45 publications

Epidemiology and Control of Child Toxocariasis in the Western Brazilian Amazon – A Population-Based Study

Epidemiology and Control of Child Toxocariasis in the Western Brazilian Amazon – A Population-Based Study

Toxocara Seroprevalence among Clinically Healthy Individuals, Pregnant Women and Psychiatric Patients and Associated Risk Factors in Shandong Province, Eastern China

A Systematic Review of Toxocariasis: A Neglected But High-Prevalence Disease in Brazil

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