| Title |
Environmental contamination with Toxocara eggs and seroprevalence of toxocariasis in children of northeastern Poland
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Parasitology Research, September 2015
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s00436-015-4736-0 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Anna Kroten, Kacper Toczylowski, Bozena Kiziewicz, Elzbieta Oldak, Artur Sulik |
| Abstract |
Toxocariasis is a worldwide distributed zoonotic disease. Soil contaminated with Toxocara eggs appears to be the main source of infection for humans. The aim of our study was to estimate the environmental contamination with Toxocara eggs in public areas in northeastern Poland followed by the assessment of seroprevalence of toxocariasis in the children's population inhabiting the areas. A total of 168 soil samples were collected in June and September from public areas, and 28 from patients' residences. They were all examined for Toxocara eggs using the centrifugal flotation technique. Two-step serological tests comprising enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot (WB) were performed in 190 children aged 2-17 without any symptoms of toxocariasis. The positive samples accounted for 36 and 32 % in the urban area, 39 and 18 % in the suburbs, and 39 and 46 % in parks, for June and September, respectively. All the sites located near the patients' residences with confirmed persistent toxocariasis were found contaminated with Toxocara eggs. A significant drop in the mean number of eggs was noted in the suburbs after summer (0.64 vs 0.18, p < 0.05). High and constant contamination was documented in soil from urban sandboxes and parks. The overall seroprevalence in children tested for toxocariasis was 4.2 % as determined by ELISA and WB (3.0 % in preschool children and 7.7 % in school children). The current study revealed high contamination of public areas in northeastern Poland with Toxocara eggs as well as marked seroprevalence in asymptomatic children. There is an urgent need to introduce and promote preventive health measures to limit spread of toxocariasis. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 2 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1 | 50% |
| Unknown | 1 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 2 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 48 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 1 | 2% |
| Unknown | 47 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Master | 14 | 29% |
| Researcher | 9 | 19% |
| Student > Bachelor | 5 | 10% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 5 | 10% |
| Other | 2 | 4% |
| Other | 4 | 8% |
| Unknown | 9 | 19% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 8 | 17% |
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 7 | 15% |
| Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 5 | 10% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 4 | 8% |
| Environmental Science | 3 | 6% |
| Other | 9 | 19% |
| Unknown | 12 | 25% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 28 August 2016.
All research outputs
#18,468,369
of 22,884,315 outputs
Outputs from Parasitology Research
#2,375
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Outputs of similar age
#196,661
of 273,363 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Parasitology Research
#72
of 138 outputs
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