Prevalence of Toxocara cati in pet cats and it ʼ s zoonotic importance in Tabriz city, Iran

Toxocara species are common Ascaridoid nematodes of cats and dogs. Notably, Toxocara is known as a common nematode of cats in various parts of Iran. Therefore, the present study was performed on Toxocara cati from pet cats in Tabriz, East-Azerbaijan Province, North-west Iran, based on morphological approaches, and also the prevalence rate of Toxocara cati. From February to November 2014, a total of 50 household cats were randomly selected from different geographic areas of Tabriz city, and fresh fecal samples were collected by owners or veterinarians that underwent clinical examination in three various veterinary clinics placed in the different regions of (north, south, east and west) the Tabriz city. Four out of 50 cats (8%) were found to be infected with Toxocara nematodes. All the species were approved as T. cati based on morphological characteristics. The intensity of infection ranged from one to a maximum of 29 eggs per cat. Importantly, the most prevalent ascaridoid nematode of the examined pet cats in the study area was T. cati. This issue has an important role in spreading of the eggs in the environment and impact on human toxocariasis.