Diagnoi of Ocular Toxocariai by Etablihing Intraocular Antibody Production Original Reearch Article

Purpoe To invetigate the role of Toxocara cani in poterior uveiti of undetermined origin. Deign Retropective cae-tudy. Method Paired ocular fluid (47 aqueou humor [AH] and two vitreou fluid) and erum ample of 37 adult and 12 children with undetermined poterior uveiti were retropectively analyzed for intraocular IgG antibody production againt Toxocara cani by enzyme-linked immunoorbent aay and Goldmann-Witmer coefficient (GWC) determination. Previou diagnotic invetigation by polymerae chain reaction and GWC for Herpe implex viru, Varicella zoter viru, and Toxoplama gondii had not provided a caue of the poterior uveiti. Reult Three of 12 (25%) children howed intraocular IgG production againt Toxocara cani. One child had vitriti, one preented with a low-grade uveiti and a peripheral retinal leion, and the third had poterior uveiti and a chorioretinal car. All three children had AH IgG titer exceeding thoe of the correponding erum. In fact, two children had low Toxocara erum IgG titer (<1:32) and would have been conidered eronegative upon routine erology creening. Intraocular antibody production againt Toxocara cani wa abent in all 37 adult, including five eropoitive patient. Concluion Our reult indicate that ocular toxocariai i mainly a pediatric dieae. erological creening i not informative for the diagnoi of intraocular Toxocara infection. Toxocara GWC analyi, however, can be of value when diagnoing patient with poterior focal leion or vitriti of unknown etiology.