Human toxocariasis seroprevalence among patients with uveitis in Alborz Province, Iran

Abstract

Introduction and objective. Toxocariasis, predominantly caused by Toxocara canis, is a common zoonotic parasitosis worldwide. Toxocara infection is a cause of vision impairment and blindness. The presented study investigates the frequency of antibodies against Toxocara among uveitis patients and the epidemiological factors associated with disease. Materials and method. Fifty-four patients with uveitis and 59 healthy subjects were studied. Anti-Toxocara antibodies status was determined in all serum samples using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and seropositive samples analyzed by Western blot (WB) technique. Results. The frequency of Toxocara canis infection was found to be significantly higher in uveitis patients, compared to healthy controls by the use of ELISA test, being 14.8% and 1.7%, respectively. From 8 seropositive samples, 5 (62.5%) patients exhibited Toxocara immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in response to Western blot, whereas in the control group, none were detected positive by Western blot. No significant difference was found between pet owners, nor between different places of residence. The seroprevalence to Toxocara among uveitis patients was significantly related to gender, age and medical diagnosis. The highest prevalence was found in patients with posterior uveitis (27.8%). Conclusion. Anti-Toxocara antibody titers are associated with the risk of vision impairment-uveitis. The risk factor associated with Toxocara exposure identified in this study warrants further investigation.

Prevalence of Toxocara and Toxascaris infection among human and animals in Iran with meta-analysis approach

“…Also, the country is a mountainous region with several mountain ranges, mostly located at the western and northern parts such as Zagros mountain ranges with colder winters and heavy snowfalls. The annual precipitation is 680 mm in the eastern part of the plain and more than 1700 mm in the western parts [18][19][20][21].…”

Environmental soil contamination by <i>Toxocara</i> species eggs in public places of Ilam, Iran

“…Transmission to humans occurs by ingestion of embryonated Toxocara spp. eggs in the soil, water and vegetables, or through contaminated hands and fomites, and/or eating the meat of paratenic hosts containing encapsulated larvae [1][2][3][4][5]. Most infections do not have any clinical symptoms, athough Toxocara larvae are released within the different tissues and organs and may cause dangerous clinical syndromes, including weight loss, fever with a cough and shortness of breath, generalized lymphadenopathy and hepatomegaly [6][7][8].…”

Frequency of Toxocara Antibodies in Patients Clinically Suspected to Ocular Toxocariasis, Northeast of Iran

“…This is the first study that confirms that OT can be observed in patients with uveitis in Mashhad, Iran. There have been few reports of OT from Iran ( 13 , 14 ). Most of the OT cases were reported from Caspian Sea coastal areas ( 14 ).…”

“…There have been few reports of OT from Iran ( 13 , 14 ). Most of the OT cases were reported from Caspian Sea coastal areas ( 14 ). In the present study, one of patients came from this area.…”