Seroprevalence of Toxocara spp. in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background. Toxocariasis is an important health problem caused by the parasitic species Toxocara canis (T. canis) and Toxocara cati (T. cati). Prevalence of toxocariasis in pregnant women as a vulnerable population is doubly important, and the aim of this study is to estimate the overall prevalence of toxocariasis infection in pregnant women according to the available reports. Methods. The present study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklists. A systematic search was carried out in international scientific databases (Google Scholar, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and PubMed) between 1990 and 2023. The overall prevalence of parasitic infection was estimated with a random-effects model. All analyses (overall prevalence, heterogeneity, publication bias, and sensitivity analysis) were performed with comprehensive meta-analysis (V2.2, Bio stat) software. Results. Amid the final eleven included studies, based on the random-effects model, the estimation of the pooled prevalence of Toxocara spp. was 20.8% (95% CI, 9.8–38.7%). The association between the risk factors of toxocariasis and the prevalence of the disease was not statistically significant. Conclusions. In the present study, significant prevalence was reported; however, considering the limited number of studies, it seems that the actual prevalence of the disease is higher. Therefore, it seems necessary to monitor this health problem in pregnant women.