Seroepidemiological Study of Toxocariasis among Volunteers Animal Husbandry Workers and Veterinary in Southern Anatolia in Turkey in 2014
SOZEN، Hamdi نويسنده Dept. of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Mugla, Turkey SOZEN, Hamdi , E CITIL، Burak نويسنده Dept. of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Mugla, Turkey E CITIL, Burak , CAYLAK، Selmin نويسنده Dept. of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Mugla, Turkey CAYLAK, Selmin , A GOKMEN، Aysegul نويسنده Dept. of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Katip Celebi University, Izmir, Turkey A GOKMEN, Aysegul , KAYA، Selçuk نويسنده Dept. of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Katip Celebi University, Izmir, Turkey KAYA, Selçuk , Demirci، Mustafa نويسنده , , KORKMAZ، Metin نويسنده Dept. of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey KORKMAZ, Metin , Sahin، Cem نويسنده Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Mugla, Turkey , , KIRLI، Ismail نويسنده Dept. of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Mugla, Turkey KIRLI, Ismail
Background:Human toxocariasis is a parasitic infection caused by the larvae of Toxocaracanis. We examine the Toxocara seroprevalance in veterinarians and animal husbandry workers living in the Mugla Province, Turkey to evaluate better the risk factors for Toxocara exposure.
Methods: In 2014, 376 volunteers participated in the study in 2014. All blood specimens were tested using a commercial enzyme immunoassay kit and ELISA positive samples were confirmed by Western Blot (WB) method.
Results: The seroprevalence of Toxocara, as determined by WB, was 8%. A statistically significant correlation was evident between patient age and Toxocara positivity among animal husbandry workers (P = 0.029). A strong association was also evident between sex and seropositivity in the animal husbandry group (P=0.024). Veterinarians working in pet clinics did in fact exhibit higher Toxocara seropositivities relative to those of other groups (P = 0.029). A statistically significant difference was detected between the rural geographic areas surveyed (P = 0.04).
Conclusion: In Mugla Province, seroprevalence of Toxocara is lower than other regions. Despite the low seroprevalence observed, especially in high risk professions toxocariasis remains an important medical concern within the region.