ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION BY Toxocara spp. EGGS IN A RURAL SETTLEMENT IN BRAZIL

• Published in: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo Vol. 50; no. 5; pp. 279 - 282
• Main Authors: ALVARES SANTAREM, Vamilton, DA CUNHA FRANCO, Elisabeth, TORRES KOZUKI, Fernanda, FINI, Danila, PRESTES-CARNEIRO, Luiz Euribel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: São Paulo Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo 01-09-2008; Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo; Instituto de Medicina Tropical
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Brazil; Cats; Diseases caused by nematodes; Dogs; General aspects; Helminthic diseases; Humans; Infectious diseases; Larva migrans syndromes; Medical sciences; Parasite Egg Count - methods; Parasitic diseases; Rural Population; Seasons; Soil - parasitology; Toxocara - isolation & purification; TROPICAL MEDICINE; South America; Brazil; America; Infection; Rural environment; Nematode disease; Larva migrans; Toxocariasis; Tropical medicine; Parasitosis; Helminthiasis; Contamination; Rural community; Soil contamination
• ISSN: 0036-4665; 1678-9946; 1678-9946; 0036-4665
• DOI: 10.1590/S0036-46652008000500006

In order to study the environmental contamination by Toxocara spp. eggs in a rural community from the Pontal do Paranapanema region, São Paulo State, Brazil, soil samples from 31 out of 121 plots were collected in eight different places on each house. The samples were submitted to flotation technique in sodium nitrate (d = 1.20 g/cm3). Eggs of Toxocara spp. were recovered in nine (29.03%) out of the 31 plots. At least one dog was registered in 27 of the 31 plots examined (87.1%) and at least one cat in 17 (54.84%). The number of pets per plot ranged from one to six (mean of 2.3) for dogs and one to 14 (mean of 1.29) for cats. In 16 plots (51.61%), the presence of both dogs and cats was observed. There was no relation between the presence of pets in the plots and soil contamination (p > 0.05). However, the environmental contamination by Toxocara spp. eggs associated to the poor conditions of the inhabitants may be an important risk factor for the human population to ocular or visceral larva migrans.