Seroprevalence of anti-Toxocara canis antibodies and associated risk factors among dog owners in the rural community of Nakhon Si Thammarat province, southern Thailand

Abstract

Background Human toxocariasis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by the Toxocara canis and T. cati nematodes larvae. Dog owners are at a higher risk of acquiring T. canis infection, and there is no available evidence regarding the seroprevalence of T. canis infection among dog owners in Thailand. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of T. canis infection and associated risk factors among dog owners in rural areas of Thailand. Methods A total of 132 dog owners, including 25 men and 107 women, were recruited for this study. Serum anti-T. canis IgG antibodies were detected using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, and information on risk factors was collected using a questionnaire. In addition, hematological parameters were analyzed by the auto hematology analyzer. Risk variables associated with T. canis infection were investigated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Results The overall seroprevalence of T. canis was 76.5% (101/132). Men were more likely to be infected with T. canis than women. Univariate analysis revealed that dog owners who did not practice handwashing before meals (p = 0.005) or after contact with soil (p = 0.035) or dogs (p = 0.049) had a substantially higher risk of acquiring T. canis infection. After adjusting for confounders, not practicing handwashing before meals remained a significant risk factor for T. canis infection (p = 0.038). The mean number of eosinophils was significantly higher in the seropositive group than in the seronegative group. Conclusions This is the first serological report of T. canis infection among dog owners reflecting the high rate of T. canis seropositivity in rural areas of southern Thailand. This study also provides group-specific data concerning modifiable risk behaviors for more effective T. canis infection control and prevention strategies in Thailand.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with Toxocara canis in dogs and humans in Egypt: A comparative approach

“…canis seropositivity was significantly associated with dog contact with the highest exposure rates observed among dog owners (31.95% and 10.13% in Alexandria and Qena, respectively). These findings agree with many previous studies (Na-Ek et al, 2022;Kyei et al, 2015;Rezaiemanesh et al, 2019;Shahat et al, 2019) in which significant correlations have been found between toxocariasis and contact with pets. Conversely, Zibaei et al (2019) and Delai et al (2021) found no association between seroprevalence and dog ownership.…”

“…In Qena, males had higher infection rates than females, which concur with the findings of Silva et al (2017), Raissi et al (2018), Rezaiemanesh et al ( 2019), , Wang et al (2020) and Na-Ek et al (2022). The results in Alexandria were the opposite, with higher infection rates among females than males, which agrees with the findings of Kyei et al (2015) and Delai et al (2021).…”

“…As found in previous studies (Rezaiemanesh et al, 2019;Chieffi et al, 2021;Delai et al, 2021;Na-Ek et al, 2022), the highest T. canis seropositivity was observed in the youngest age group (4-15 years) at 39.65% and 14.29% in Alexandria and Qena, respectively (p = 0.006). This may be due to the high frequency of children and adolescents in public places, such as parks, playgrounds, beaches and sandboxes, which are considered established territories for Toxocara infection.…”

“…(2020) and Na‐Ek et al. (2022). The results in Alexandria were the opposite, with higher infection rates among females than males, which agrees with the findings of Kyei et al.…”

“…(2009) (7.7%) but lower than that reported by Awadallah and Salem (2015) (29.85%). Incidence rates ranging from 5.1% to 71.8% have been reported across other regions of the world (Berrett et al, 2017;Baghani et al, 2018;Nicoletti et al, 2019;Nguyen et al, 2016;Araújo et al, 2018;Na-Ek et al, 2022) with the differences mainly attributed to climate, social, economic and cultural conditions.…”