Clinical and Serological Findings in Patients with Toxocariasis in the Pohang Region: The Features of Toxocariasis in Pohang

Significance of Serum Antibody Test for Toxocariasis in Healthy Healthcare Examinees with Eosinophilia in Seoul and Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea

“…When the serum antibody positive rate was analyzed in detail by area, the correlation between eosinophil counts and antibody positivity was not significant in Seoul ( P =0.698) but significant in Gyeongsangnam-do ( P =0.014). The correlation has been consistently confirmed by several studies ( 10 , 11 , 12 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ). The insignificant correlation in Seoul might have been caused by small number of antibody positive subjects in each group.…”

“…The serum antibody positive rate in the 3 groups was 5.9%, 10.0%, and 12.4% in order ( P =0.037). The positive rate of 12.4% of eosinophilia group was very low compared to those over 50% of previous reports ( 10 , 11 , 12 , 23 , 24 ). Those positive rates of previous studies were rather high because they were suspected with some symptoms or signs of toxocariasis at hospitals but the subjects of the present study were healthy without any related clinical symptoms.…”

“…One study described serum antibody positive rate of 5.1% in general population in a rural area ( 9 ) but others recorded 50% to 80% positive rates among people with eosinophilia ( 10 , 11 , 12 , 23 , 24 ). The reported serum antibody positive rate has varied quite widely by locality or subjects.…”

Seroepidemiology of Toxocariasis and Its Clinical Implications in Gwangju and Jeonnam-province, Korea

“…Although less common, humans can also become infected if they eat undercooked meat from an animal infected with T. canis larvae [ 7 ]. Especially in Korea, it is thought that toxocariasis is likely to be more prevalent owing to the habitual intake of raw liver [ 2 , 8 , 9 ]. Although the epidemiology of toxocariasis is affected by regional culture, the epidemiology of toxocariasis in the regions of Gwangju and Jeonnam-province has not been evaluated.…”

“…Toxocariasis has been recognized as the most commonly neglected parasitic infection in the United States, and its global importance might be greatly underestimated [ 12 ]. Although a nationwide survey has not been performed in Korea, regional studies enable estimates of the prevalence of toxocariasis as follows ( Supplemental Data Table S1 ): 86.7% (Seoul), 68.0% (Seoul), 62.1% (Pohang), and 45.5% (Chungnam-province) [ 2 , 8 , 9 , 13 ]. A previous study reported that the seroprevalence in healthy rural Korean adults might be around 5% [ 14 ], but this study showed 53.3% seroprevalence in the non-eosinophilic group.…”