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

Abstract

We investigated the seroepidemiological, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of patients suspected to have toxocariasis in Gwangju and Jeonnam-province, Korea. In total, 228 specimens were analyzed for anti-Toxocara canis IgG at two university hospitals from 2010 to 2012. The overall seropositive rate was 67.1%, and the seropositive rates among the eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic groups were 76.1% (105/138) and 53.3% (48/90), respectively. Risk factors for eosinophilia and toxocariasis were male sex (odds ratios [OR]=2.632 and 3.477, respectively) and a history of ingesting raw meat (OR=2.884 and 3.274, respectively), especially raw cow liver (OR=2.089 and 10.038, respectively). T. canis seropositivity (OR=5.807, P=0.004) and a history of consuming raw cow liver (OR=2.766, P=0.052) were risk factors for organ involvement. The anti-T. canis IgG level showed weakly positive correlations with eosinophil counts (r=0.234, P<0.001) and the duration of eosinophilia (r=0.155, P=0.019). Although limited to the regions of Gwangju and Jeonnam-province, this study supports the opinion that toxocariasis is a reasonable focus as a cause of eosinophilia and that it is also associated with organ involvement.

Designing and standardizing Toxocara serologic diagnostic kit and determining anti-Toxocara antibodies frequency in patients referred to health care centers in Urmia (northwest of Iran)

“…Various studies have suggested that geographical location, socioeconomical status, contact with soil, dog, and cat, age, sex, pica, and ingestion of raw cow liver or meat are the most important risk factors for acquiring the disease (Campos Júnior et al 2003;Fillaux et al 2007;Kwon et al 2017;Kwon et al 2011). Eosinophilia in peripheral blood occurs in allergic diseases and cancers and is commonly found in tissue-invading parasites (Merdin et al 2016;Won et al 2015); VLM is often complicated by blood eosinophilia (Van Den Broucke et al 2015).…”

Robust Phenotypic Activation of Eosinophils during Experimental Toxocara canis Infection

“…The clinical and pathological aspects of VLMS are multifactorial and seem to be induced by the tissue damage caused by larvae migration. In addition, parasite-derived metabolites and the host inflammatory responses act in consonance to promote granuloma formation in several tissues, mainly in the lung and the liver ( 14 ).…”

One health approach to toxocariasis in quilombola communities of southern Brazil

“…The quilombola population in this study mostly (> 90.0%) reported no habits of consuming raw meat of either domestic or game animals, reducing the likelihood of toxocariasis via animal consumption. The ingestion of undercooked or raw meat from paratenic hosts, mainly cattle and chickens, has been associated with toxocariasis [ 58 – 60 ], mostly in Asian countries because of local habits of eating raw meat [ 61 ]. In Brazil, serosurveys and a review study [ 62 ] have indicated no association between consumption of raw meat and toxocariasis [ 13 , 53 , 63 ].…”