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

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.

• Authors: Jernej Logar, Barbara Soba, Aleksandra Kraut, Branka Stirn-Kranjc
• Journal: The Korean journal of parasitology (Korean J Parasitol) Vol. 42 Issue 3 Pg. 137-40 (Sep 2004) ISSN: 0023-4001 [Print] Korea (South)
• PMID: 15381862 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Helminth

Topics

• 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)