Korean J Parasitol.  2004 Sep;42(3):137-140. 10.3347/kjp.2004.42.3.137.

Seroprevalence of Toxocara antibodies among patients suspected of ocular toxocariasis in Slovenia

• Logar J
• Soba B
• Kraut A
• Stirn-Kranjc B

• KMID: 662784
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2004.42.3.137

Abstract

Ocular toxocariasis named also ocular larva migrans is caused by larvae of the roundworm Toxocara spp. The purpose of this study was to find out the seroprevalence of Toxocara antibodies in patients suspected of ocular toxocariasis. Between January 2001 and December 2003, sera from 239 ocular patients, aged 3 to 80 years, were examined by ELISA and confirmed by Western blot test. Out of the 239 patients, 172 (72%) were seronegative and 67 (28%) were Toxocara seropositive; 95% CI (22-34%). The median age of Toxocara seropositive patients was 37.6 years. There was no significant difference in the number of Toxocara positive sera between the younger age group (< or =14 years) and the older age group (> 14 years), p > 0.05. A high rate of Toxocara seropositivity in ocular patients should alert the ophthalmologists in Slovenia to include toxocariasis in the differential diagnosis of eye diseases more frequently.

Keyword

Toxocara; toxocariasis; eye infections; serology; ELISA; Western blot; Slovenia

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Animals
Antibodies, Helminth/*blood
Blotting, Western
Child
Child, Preschool
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods
Eye Infections, Parasitic/*epidemiology
Female
Humans
Larva Migrans, Visceral/epidemiology
Male
Middle Aged
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Slovenia/epidemiology
Toxocara/*immunology
Toxocariasis/*epidemiology/immunology