Seroprevalence, disease awareness, and risk factors for Toxocara canis infection among primary schoolchildren in Makoko, an urban slum community in Nigeria

Gyang, Pam V.; Akinwale, Olaoluwa P.; Lee, Yueh-Lun; Chuang, Ting-Wu; Orok, Akwaowo B.; Ajibaye, Olusola; Liao, Chien Wei; Chen, Po Ching; Chou, Chia Mei; Huang, Yun‐Ching; Barghouth, Ursula; Fan, Chia-Kwung

doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2015.03.018

Cited by 40 publications

(35 citation statements)

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“…To date data on the seroprevalence of Toxocara infections in Central Africa are scarce. Whereas these rates are considerably higher than for many Western populations, comparable seroprevalences were reported for other sub-Saharan African regions [7,8,17,18]. These data indicate that human Toxocara infections and toxocariasis is common and widespread in most of sub-Saharan Africa.…”

supporting

confidence: 79%

“…Surprisingly, dog or cat ownership was not associated with seropositivity in this study population. However, earlier reports demonstrated that the age of the dog was more important than ownership in itself [18], and other reports have not reproduced this association [17]. In our study area, virtually all dogs are allowed to roam free in the village and may therefore contaminate the whole village environment.…”

mentioning

confidence: 79%

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Seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. in a rural population in Central African Gabon

Lötsch

Obermüller

Mischlinger

et al. 2016

Parasitology International

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Toxocara spp. are zoonotic parasites with global distribution infecting humans by incidental ingestions of eggs shed in feces of dogs or cats. High seroprevalences have been reported from several regions of Africa, however data from the Central African region remain limited. Although several clinical entities caused by larvae of Toxocara spp. have been described, the public heath impact of this infection has so far often been neglected. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence in a rural central African population. The population based study was performed in volunteers in a rural region of Gabon. A two-step testing approach was applied using an ELISA as screening test and a Western Blot (immunoblot) as confirmatory assay. Basic demographic data and risk factors were collected and compared between seropositive and negative participants. In total, 199 out of 332 serum samples were tested positive for Toxocara spp. antibodies (59.9%). After standardization for age to the overall Gabonese population seroprevalence was 53.6% (95% CI 48.2-59.0%). There was a trend towards higher seroprevalence in participants with agricultural activity. Seroprevalence of antibodies against Toxocara spp. is high in this rural population in Gabon. These results are comparable with previous reports from other sub-regions of Africa and add to our understanding of the epidemiology of toxocariasis in Africa. Given the high prevalence of toxocariasis in tropical regions, it may be speculated that clinically relevant presentations (e.g. visceral or ocular larva migrans syndrome) may occur in considerable numbers. A formal assessment of the burden of disease and the public health impact of human toxocariasis is therefore warranted.

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supporting

confidence: 79%

mentioning

confidence: 79%

Seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. in a rural population in Central African Gabon

Lötsch

Obermüller

Mischlinger

et al. 2016

Parasitology International

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“…Prevalence of parasite infection in dogs with importance for human health is usually high, resulting in risk of zoonotic transmission from dogs to humans [83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96]. Co-habitation of human with dog and cat pets enhances transmission of Toxocara.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxocariasis and Public Health: An Epidemiological Review

Chigozie¹

2017

Glob J Infect Dis Clin Res

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An epidemiological review of toxocariasis aimed to underpin its prevalence, proclivity and prognosis was undertaken. Human toxocariasis constitutes one of the most common parasitic infections worldwide, which is more prevalent in developing and tropical countries. Human infection is caused by ingesting the eggs which were shed in the faeces of the defi nite dog or cat host. There is a range of clinical manifestations of toxocariasis in human, but the two classical clinical syndromes often described are visceral and ocular larva migrans. The clinical signs and complications which result from infection with this parasite are mostly dependent on the number and migration locations of Toxocara larvae. Visual identifi cation of larvae in tissues and organs is the gold standard for toxocariasis diagnosis in human, while an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay detecting Imunoglobulin-G antibodies against Toxocara excretory-secretory antigen is the reference test for immunodiagnosis. In human, loss of vision, hypereosinophilia, encephalitis and problems involving the liver, lung and the central nervous system are the most important complications. Poor hygiene, poverty and lack of education can exacerbate the exposure to Toxocara infection. Albendazole is the treatment of choice for toxocariasis. Conclusively, the present review recommends that regular stool examination and frequent chemotherapy of pets can be effective in reducing the egg number deposited in soil; reducing the number of pet animals or limiting contacts of small children with them and good hygiene practices will limit transmission of toxocariasis.

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“…Seventy-five studies focussed on diarrhoeal disease including studies of enteric infections through prevalence of disease agents such as rotavirus, Shigella, cryptosporidium and salmonella as pathogens causing diarrhoeal diseases (Ali et al 2005;Morse et al 2007;Ankarklev et al 2012;Dos Santos et al 2015). Other acute infectious disease outcomes included within this category were Toxocara canis infection (n = 2) (Liao et al 2010;Gyang et al 2015), Herpes virus (n = 1) (Hazel et al 2015) and Zoonotic diseases (n = 1) (Kagira and Kanyari 2010).…”

Section: Acute Infectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

21st century research in urban WASH and health in sub-Saharan Africa: methods and outcomes in transition

Mackinnon

Ayah

Taylor

et al. 2018

International Journal of Environmental Health Research

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Tackling global inequalities in access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) remains an urgent issue-58% of annual diarrhoeal deaths are caused by inadequate WASH provision. A global context of increasing urbanisation, changing demographics and health transitions demands an understanding and impact of WASH on a broad set of health outcomes. We examine the literature, in terms of health outcomes, considering WASH access and interventions in urban sub-Saharan Africa from 2000 to 2017. Our review of studies which evaluate the effectiveness of specific WASH interventions, reveals an emphasis of WASH research on acute communicable diseases, particularly diarrhoeal diseases. In contrast, chronic communicable and non-communicable health outcomes were notable gaps in the literature as well as a lack of focus on cross-cutting issues, such as ageing, well-being and gender equality. We recommend a broader focus of WASH research and interventions in urban Africa to better reflect the demographic and health transitions happening.

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Seroprevalence, disease awareness, and risk factors for Toxocara canis infection among primary schoolchildren in Makoko, an urban slum community in Nigeria

Cited by 40 publications

References 50 publications

Seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. in a rural population in Central African Gabon

Seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. in a rural population in Central African Gabon

Toxocariasis and Public Health: An Epidemiological Review

21st century research in urban WASH and health in sub-Saharan Africa: methods and outcomes in transition

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