Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo (Feb 2015)

ASSESSMENT OF THE PRESENCE OF Toxocara EGGS IN SOILS OF AN ARID AREA IN CENTRAL-WESTERN ARGENTINA

  • María Viviana Bojanich,
  • José Mario Alonso,
  • Nadina Ayelén Caraballo,
  • Mercedes Itatí Schöller,
  • María de los Ángeles López,
  • Leandro Martín García,
  • Juan Ángel Basualdo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0036-46652015000100010
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 57, no. 1
pp. 73 – 76

Abstract

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With the aim of studying the contamination of soils with eggs of Toxocara spp. in an arid area in the central-western region of Argentina, 76 soil samples were collected from 18 towns belonging to six provinces of central-western Argentina. They were processed by the centrifugal flotation method. No eggs of Toxocara spp. were found. It can be concluded that the negative results are directly related to the characteristics of the environment and climate present in the studied area. The finding of eggs in soils depends on several factors: the presence of canine or feline feces, the hygienic behavior of pet owners, the presence of stray animals without veterinary supervision, the weather and environmental conditions, and laboratory techniques used; and all these circumstances must be considered when comparing the results found in different geographical regions. In order to accurately define the importance of public spaces in the transmission of infection to humans, it is important to consider the role of backyards or green spaces around housing in small towns, where the population is not used to walking pets in public spaces, and in such cases a significant fraction of the population may acquire the infection within households.

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