One Health approach on human seroprevalence of anti-Toxocara antibodies, Toxocara spp. eggs in dogs and sand samples between seashore mainland and island areas of southern Brazil
Ruana Renostro Delai,
Aaronson Ramathan Freitas,
Louise Bach Kmetiuk,
Yslla Fernanda Fitz Balo Merigueti,
Isabella Braghin Ferreira,
Susana Angélica Zevallos Lescano,
William Henry Roldan Gonzáles,
Ana Pérola Drulla Brandão,
Ivan Roque de Barros-Filho,
Christina Pettan-Brewer,
Fabiano Borges Figueiredo,
Andrea Pires dos Santos,
Cláudia Turra Pimpão,
Vamilton Alvares Santarém,
Alexander Welker Biondo
Affiliations
Ruana Renostro Delai
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Paraná (PR) 80035-050, Brazil
Aaronson Ramathan Freitas
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Paraná (PR) 80035-050, Brazil
Louise Bach Kmetiuk
Laboratory of Cell Biology, Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
Yslla Fernanda Fitz Balo Merigueti
Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Western São Paulo (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil
Isabella Braghin Ferreira
Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Western São Paulo (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil
Susana Angélica Zevallos Lescano
Laboratory of Medical Investigation, Institute of Tropical Medicine of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
William Henry Roldan Gonzáles
Laboratory of Medical Investigation, Institute of Tropical Medicine of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Ana Pérola Drulla Brandão
Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Ivan Roque de Barros-Filho
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Paraná (PR) 80035-050, Brazil
Christina Pettan-Brewer
Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, USA; One Health Brasil, Brazil
Fabiano Borges Figueiredo
Laboratory of Cell Biology, Instituto Carlos Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
Andrea Pires dos Santos
Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
Cláudia Turra Pimpão
Department of Animal Science, School of Life Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
Vamilton Alvares Santarém
Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Western São Paulo (UNOESTE), Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil
Alexander Welker Biondo
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Paraná (PR) 80035-050, Brazil; Corresponding author: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Paraná State, Funcionários Street, 1540, Curitiba, Paraná 80035-050, Brazil.
Toxocariasis, caused by Toxocara spp. nematodes, is among the top 5 neglected parasitic diseases worldwide; however, no comprehensive study to date has serologically compared infections in people and their dogs and environmentally contaminated soil or sand of mainland and island locations. Accordingly, this study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of anti-Toxocara antibodies in traditional human seashore populations, the presence of eggs in dogs' feces and hair, and the presence of eggs in environmental samples from islands compared to the adjacent mainland of southern Brazil. Overall, 212/328 (64.6%) people were positive for Toxocara spp. antibodies, including 125/190 (65.8%) island and 87/138 (63.0%) mainland residents. For dog samples, 12/115 (10.43%) were positive for the presence of Toxocara spp. eggs, all from dogs living in islands, and 22/104 (21.15%) dog hair samples contained eggs of Toxocara spp. Environmental contamination with Toxocara spp. eggs was observed in 50/130 (38.46%) samples from all sampled sites. No significant association was found between risk factors (age, sex, educational level, monthly income, owning dogs or cats, ingestion of treated water, and consumption of raw or uncooked meat) and Toxocara spp. seropositivity. The present study is the first concurrent report on people, their dogs, and environmental contamination of Toxocara spp. The high prevalence we observed in the seashore populations of both in island and mainland areas may be caused by exposure to contaminated sand and climatic factors favoring frequent exposure to Toxocara spp. In conclusion, seashore lifestyle and living conditions of both island and mainland areas may have predisposed higher contact with infected pets and contaminated soil, favoring the high prevalence of toxocariasis.
