Neglected toxocariasis among eosinophilic children: A crosssectional study in Shibin El Kom, Menoufia Governorate, Egypt

Abstract

Background: Determination of the prevalence of human toxocariasis is a priority considering the sustained developmental goals of WHO by 2030 and the recent climatic changes. Objective: To detect the seroprevalence of toxocariasis among eosinophilic children in Shibin El Kom, Menoufia Governorate, Egypt. Subjects and Methods: The study included 300 randomly selected eosinophilic children for whom stool analysis was performed. Ninety-six of the children positive for other parasitic infections were excluded from the study to avoid cross-reactivity. The remaining 204 children with negative stool analysis were subjected to the detection of Toxocara antibodies using ELISA. Results: Seropositivity of Toxocara antibodies among examined children was 15.7% (32/204), and 84.3% (172/204) were negative. Their ages ranged from 5 to 17 years, with a mean age of 9.16±3.11 years. Suspicious clinical history was recorded in 94.1% (192/204) of children; 15.7% (32/204) had a history of recurrent fever of unknown origin, 21.6% (44/204) children were asthmatic, and cutaneous manifestations were observed in 2% (4/204) of cases. None of the patients had ocular or hepatic disorders. The history of direct contact with pets was present in 15.7% (32/204) of patients with non-significant differences to negative children. Conclusion: Our study reported a relatively higher prevalence of seropositivity to toxocariasis among children with eosinophilia in Shibin El Kom City, Menoufia Governorate, Egypt. Therefore, implementing studies on a larger scale would provide more knowledge on the spread of this parasite in Egypt, and enhance advanced approaches to improve its control.