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Said A, Khattak I, Abbas RZ, Khan MK, Saleemi MK, Budke CM, Verocai GG. Toxocara canis seropositivity in different exposure groups in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Northwest Pakistan. Parasitol Res 2023; 122:1159-1166. [PMID: 36890297 PMCID: PMC9995258 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-07816-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
Human toxocariasis is a highly prevalent zoonosis worldwide but is underreported in most countries. This study was conducted to evaluate Toxocara canis seropositivity in different exposure sub-groups located in the Mardan, Swabi, and Nowshera districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Northwest Pakistan. A total of 400 blood samples were collected from males 15 years of age and older with no animals, with livestock, with dogs and/or cats living in the house, and from butchers and veterinarians or para-veterinarians. Serum was tested using a commercial ELISA kit for detection of IgG antibodies against T. canis. Proportion seropositive was presented for each group and differences between groups were evaluated using the chi-square or Fisher's exact test as appropriate. Possible risk factors obtained through administration of a questionnaire were also evaluated for each sub-population. Overall T. canis seroprevalence was 14.2%, with a significant difference found between the seroprevalence of individuals with no animals (5.0%; 5/100), individuals with dogs and/or cats living in the household (8.0%; 8/100), individuals with livestock (18.0%; 18/100), veterinarians or para-veterinarians (24.0%; 12/50), and butchers (28.0%; 14/50) (p < 0.001). Significant differences in seropositivity by income bracket, education level, and working in the fields were found for some sub-groups. Study findings demonstrate that certain sub-populations, in Northwest Pakistan, may be at greater risk of T. canis infection. Development and implementation of targeted preventive strategies may, therefore, be needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arsalan Said
- Department of Parasitology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Irfan Khattak
- College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Pakistan
| | - Rao Zahid Abbas
- Department of Parasitology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Kasib Khan
- Department of Parasitology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | | | - Christine M Budke
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Guilherme G Verocai
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
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Pezeshkian F, Pouryousef A, Omidian M, Mikaeili F, Safarpour AR, Shojaei-Zarghani S, Sarkari B. Seroprevalence of Toxocariasis and Its Associated Risk Factors among Adult Population in Kavar District, Fars Province, South of Iran: A Cross-Sectional Community-Based Seroepidemiological Survey. Interdiscip Perspect Infect Dis 2023; 2023:2721202. [PMID: 37207170 PMCID: PMC10191749 DOI: 10.1155/2023/2721202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxocariasis as a common neglected disease is the culprit of infecting all age groups. The current cross-sectional study was designed to assess the seroprevalence of toxocariasis and risk factors associated with seropositivity of Toxocara infection among the general population of adults in the Kavar district, south of Iran. A total of 1060 participants with an age range of 35 to 70 years from the Kavar region entered the study. Manual ELISA was utilized to detect anti-Toxocara-specific antibodies in their serum samples. In addition, demographic information as well as risk factors related to toxocariasis was collected from individuals who participated in the survey. The mean age of the participants was 48.9 (±7.9) years old. Out of 1060 subjects, 532 (50.2%) were men, and 528 (49.8%) were women. The overall Toxocara seroprevalence was 5.8% (61/1060). The prevalence of Toxocara seropositive cases was significantly different between males and females (p = 0.023). The seropositive rate for Toxocara infection was also significantly higher in housewives (p = 0.003) and subjects with learning disabilities (p = 0.008). Multivariable logistic regression revealed that housewives (OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.18-3.51, p = 0.010) and subjects with learning disability (OR = 3.32, 95% CI: 1.29-8.52, p = 0.013) were at increased risk of Toxocara infection. The findings of the current study depicted a noticeable seroprevalence of Toxocara infection in the general population in the Kavar district, southern Iran. An increased risk of toxocariasis has been associated with learning disabilities and being a housewife. All of the toxocariasis-positive cases had contact with animals, at some point in their life. In perspective, it is necessary to raise awareness of this infection among the population while surveilling Toxocara infection in high-risk groups.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ali Pouryousef
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mostafa Omidian
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Fattaneh Mikaeili
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Ali Reza Safarpour
- Gastroenterohepatology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | | | - Bahador Sarkari
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
- Basic Sciences in Infectious Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
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Salimi Khorashad A, Shahraki M, Rahmati Balaghaleh M, Abdolahi Khabisi S, Rala S, Shafiei R, Mirahmadi H. Seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. in children (3-13 years old) in Zahedan, Southeast of Iran. J Parasit Dis 2020; 45:449-453. [PMID: 34295044 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-020-01320-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Child Toxocariasis (CT) is one of the most important helminthic parasitic diseases in Iran. The current study was aimed to determine the seroprevalence of toxocariasis in children in Zahedan, southeast of Iran. In this cross-sectional study, serum samples of 373 children aged 3-13 years old referred to health centers in Zahedan were collected randomly with criteria based on the parameters that were used in earlier studies and examined for anti-Toxocara antibody using a commercial ELISA kit. Of the 373 recruited subjects, 206 (55.2%) were male and 167 (44.8%) were female. Most of the subjects (36.5%) were in the age group 3-4 years old. Anti-Toxocara antibodies were detected in the sera of five out of 373 individuals, corresponding to a seroprevalence rate of 1.3%. A significant correlation was found between the incidence of disease and eosinophilia, a history of contact with dogs or cats, as well as the consumption of raw vegetables and drinking of contaminated water. There was no significant correlation between prevalence and gender or age. The finding of this study revealed that the prevalent CT is relatively low in Zahedan region. The rate of CT infection in the southeast of Iran was lower than the rate in other parts of Iran.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Salimi Khorashad
- Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Resistance Tuberculosis Institute, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Majid Shahraki
- Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Resistance Tuberculosis Institute, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Mansour Rahmati Balaghaleh
- Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Resistance Tuberculosis Institute, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Samaneh Abdolahi Khabisi
- Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Resistance Tuberculosis Institute, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
| | - Sangeetha Rala
- Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Kuntokatu 3, 33520 Tampere, Finland
| | - Reza Shafiei
- Vector-Borne Diseases Research Center, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
| | - Hadi Mirahmadi
- Infectious Disease and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Resistance Tuberculosis Institute, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
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