Santos Paula Costa, Telmo Paula Lima, Lehmann Lis Maurente, Lorenzi Carolina, Hirsch Carolina, Mattos Gabriela Torres, Klafke Gabriel Baracy, Berne Maria Elisabeth Aires, Gonçalves Carla Vitola, Scaini Carlos James
Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine-FAMED, Area Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (AICB) Federal University of Rio Grande-FURG Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine-FAMED, Area Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences (AICB) Federal University of Rio Grande-FURG Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Acta Trop. 2017 Jun;170:43-47. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.02.003. Epub 2017 Feb 8.
Toxocariasis is a neglected and geographically widespread parasitic disease. The detection of specific antibodies associated with this disease is required to confirm its clinical diagnosis and to aid in prevention. Although helminth infection during pregnancy can promote foetal immune responses with long-term effects, specific information regarding the risk of Toxocara spp. infection to the human foetus during pregnancy is lacking. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the frequency of antibodies against Toxocara spp. in umbilical cord serum samples to determine the neonatal risk factors associated with Toxocara spp. infection. A cross-sectional study of the frequency of specific antibodies against Toxocara spp. was performed on umbilical cord samples of 280 neonates. A cord blood sample was obtained from each newborn after parturition, and serum samples were examined by enzyme-linked immunoassay. Epidemiological data were obtained through a questionnaire regarding obstetric history (abortion history, premature birthhistory, and pregnancy and birth numbers), general aspects (animal contact anddiet) and socio-economic factors. The frequency of anti-Toxocara spp. IgG antibodies in the umbilical cords of neonates was 20% in serum pre-adsorbed with Ascaris spp. antigen. Family income and dog ownership were considered risk factors associated with infection. No association was found between reproductive disorders and Toxocara seropositivity. The 20% frequency rate of anti-Toxocara spp. IgG antibodies in sera from umbilical cords of newborns can be related to IgG binding at the maternal-foetal interface, requiring greater care during pregnancy. Anti-Toxocara IgM and IgE antibodies no were found in umbilical cord serum samples, indicating that no vertical transmission of these parasites occurred in this population. Studies regarding antibodies against Toxocara spp. in umbilical cord sera are important for determining neonatal exposure to these parasites.
弓首蛔虫病是一种被忽视且在地理上广泛传播的寄生虫病。确诊该病的临床诊断并辅助预防需要检测与此病相关的特异性抗体。虽然孕期的蠕虫感染可促进胎儿的免疫反应并产生长期影响，但关于孕期弓首蛔虫属感染对人类胎儿风险的具体信息尚缺乏。因此，本研究旨在调查脐带血清样本中抗弓首蛔虫属抗体的频率，以确定与弓首蛔虫属感染相关的新生儿风险因素。对280例新生儿的脐带样本进行了抗弓首蛔虫属特异性抗体频率的横断面研究。分娩后从每个新生儿获取脐带血样本，并通过酶联免疫吸附测定法检测血清样本。通过一份关于产科病史（流产史、早产史以及妊娠和生育次数）、一般情况（动物接触和饮食）以及社会经济因素的问卷获取流行病学数据。在经蛔虫属抗原预吸附的血清中，新生儿脐带中抗弓首蛔虫属IgG抗体的频率为20%。家庭收入和养狗被认为是与感染相关的风险因素。未发现生殖系统疾病与弓首蛔虫血清阳性之间存在关联。新生儿脐带血清中抗弓首蛔虫属IgG抗体20%的频率可能与母胎界面处的IgG结合有关，孕期需要格外小心。在脐带血清样本中未发现抗弓首蛔虫IgM和IgE抗体，表明该人群中这些寄生虫未发生垂直传播。关于脐带血清中抗弓首蛔虫属抗体的研究对于确定新生儿接触这些寄生虫的情况很重要。
