Mohaghegh Mohammad Ali, Rezaiemanesh Mohammad Reza, Resketi Mojtaba Azimi, Ghomashlooyan Mohsen, Falahati Mohammad, Cheraghipour Kourosh, Peyman Marziyeh, Mazhab-Jafari Komeil
Department of Laboratory Sciences, School of Paramedical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran.
Health Sciences Research Center, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran.
Ann Parasitol. 2021;67(4):715-721. doi: 10.17420/ap6704.388.
Toxocarosis is an important emerging zoonotic disease, which is caused by larvae of Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati, the most widely distributed nematode parasites of dogs and cats. The soil, where Toxocara eggs become infective, is the natural source of infection. The aim of this work was to determine the levels of soil contamination with Toxocara spp. eggs in Sari district, north of Iran, in order to estimate the risk of infection of the population living in this region. A total of 141 soil samples were collected from 12 parks, 12 primary schools and 45 backyards from three regions. Soil samples were investigated for the presence of Toxocara eggs by flotation technique using sucrose solution and examined under light microscope using 10× and 40× objective. Out of 141 soil samples, 67 (47.5%) were found to contain Toxocara spp. eggs. The contamination rate in public parks, primary schools and backyards were observed 50%, 58.3% and 33.3%, respectively. The comparison of soil contamination rate from different areas, public parks, primary schools and backyards, was statistically significant (χ2=6.00, d.f.=2 and P=0.049). The public parks, backyards and primary schools, which are main places that children play, are suitable for defecation of dogs and cats. The knowledge of the soil contamination with Toxocara eggs indicates the need to take an appropriate and effective measures to prevent the infection.
弓首蛔虫病是一种重要的新发人畜共患病，由犬弓首蛔虫和猫弓首蛔虫的幼虫引起，这两种蛔虫是犬猫中分布最广泛的线虫寄生虫。弓首蛔虫卵具有感染性的土壤是天然感染源。这项工作的目的是确定伊朗北部萨里地区土壤中弓首蛔虫属虫卵的污染水平，以评估该地区居民的感染风险。从三个地区的12个公园、12所小学和45个后院共采集了141份土壤样本。采用蔗糖溶液漂浮法对土壤样本进行弓首蛔虫卵检测，并在光学显微镜下用10倍和40倍物镜进行检查。在141份土壤样本中，有67份（47.5%）被发现含有弓首蛔虫属虫卵。公园、小学和后院的污染率分别为50%、58.3%和33.3%。不同区域（公园、小学和后院）土壤污染率的比较具有统计学意义（χ2=6.00，自由度=2，P=0.049）。公园、后院和小学是儿童玩耍的主要场所，适合犬猫排便。土壤中弓首蛔虫卵污染的情况表明需要采取适当有效的措施来预防感染。
