An Integrated Study of Toxocara Infection in Honduran Children: Human Seroepidemiology and Environmental Contamination in a Coastal Community

Abstract

(1) Background: Infections caused by Toxocara canis and T. cati are considered zoonoses of global importance. Reports from North and South America indicate that human infections are widespread in both continents, but epidemiological information from Central America is still lacking. (2) Methodology: In the present cross-sectional multi-year study, we aimed to undertake the first seroepidemiological and environmental study on toxocariasis in Honduras. This included the determination of seroprevalence of anti-Toxocara spp. antibodies in children using a Toxocara spp. purified excretory-secretory antigens enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (TES-ELISA) and a confirmatory Western blot. As well, through statistical analysis including logistic regression we aimed at identifying relevant biological and epidemiological factors associated with seropositivity. The study also entailed detection of parasites’ eggs in the soil samples both through Sheather’s concentration method and a nested polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. (3) Results: The study was undertaken in a coastal community of Honduras in 2 different years, 2015 and 2017. A total of 88 healthy schoolchildren completed the study, with participation of 79% (73/92) and 65% (46/71) of the student body in 2015 and 2017, respectively. Thirty-one children participated in both years (i.e., dual participants). Through both serological tests, seropositivity was confirmed in 88.6% (78/88) of children. Due to the high number of seropositives, logistic regression analysis was not possible for most socio-economic and epidemiological variables. Eosinophilia, on the other hand, was associated with seropositivity, independently of other intestinal helminthic infections. Continued seropositivity was observed in most of the dual participants, while seroconversion was determined in 8 of these children. Microscopic examination of soil samples did not yield any positive results. Through nested PCR-RFLP, 3 of the 50 samples (6%) were positive for Toxocara spp.; two were identified as T. canis and one as T. cati. (4) Conclusions: This work documents for the first time, high levels of human exposure to Toxocara spp. in Honduras. These findings, along with the country’s favorable epidemiological conditions for this zoonosis, emphasize the need for more research to determine whether this infection is underreported in the country.

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

“…This trend has also been reported in previous studies [ 31 , 32 ]. It has been hypothesized that males engage in more outdoor activities than females and, therefore, are more likely to be in contact with contaminated soil and dogs [ 33 , 34 ]. However, univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that sex was not significantly associated with seropositivity for anti- T.canis IgG antibodies in our study.…”

Seroprevalence of toxocariasis among allergic patients in Kuwait and its association with eosinophilia

“…Globally, the seroprevalence of toxocariasis varies widely by climate and geographical region, being generally lower in industrialized temperate countries such as the USA (3.6%) ( Bradbury et al, 2020 ) and China (5.1%) ( Wang et al, 2020 ), and higher in lower-middle-income tropical countries such as Nigeria (92.4%) ( Ikotun et al, 2020 ), Honduras (88.6%) ( Hernández et al, 2020 ), Ghana (62.0%) ( Boyko et al, 2020 ), and Vietnam (59.0%) ( Van De et al, 2020 ). Our study reported a relatively low toxocariasis seroprevalence rate of 2.5% among allergic patients, 80% of whom were non-Kuwaiti residents originating from lower-middle-income South/Southeast Asian tropical countries (i.e., the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh).…”

One Health and Neglected Tropical Diseases—Multisectoral Solutions to Endemic Challenges

“…Such is the case with Chagas disease in Trinidad and Tobago, where despite mounting evidence that Trypanosoma cruzi transmission to humans occurs , the nation is not yet formally recognized as ‘Chagas endemic’ by WHO [ 6 ], and as such, does not receive support to combat the disease. Similarly, toxocariasis and giardiasis are not officially recognized as NTDs by WHO, despite having many of the same characteristics and impacts, not to mention the potential benefits for increased scientific attention, funding, and prioritization that could come with being grouped with the NTDs [ 7 , 8 ]. Finally, as mentioned above, existing eradication approaches for Guinea worm disease have been focused solely on humans; recognition of its zoonotic nature is required to ensure future success [ 5 ].…”