The aim of this investigation was to study the frequency of
visceral larva migrans (VLM)
granulomas in autopsies at a Children's Reference Hospital in Vitoria, ES Brazil, where anti-Toxocara
antibodies are frequently detected in the serum of children admitted at the hospital. Two liver fragments from 310 autopsies of children aged between 1 and 15 years were
paraffin embedded, and sections were stained with
hematoxylin and
eosin and submitted to detection of Toxocara
antigens using a rabbit anti-Toxocara serum. Among the 24 cases with granulomatous lesions, ten had eosinophil-rich
granulomas positively stained with the anti-Toxocara serum. Some were typical epithelioid
granulomas, with a positive reaction in multinucleated giant cells, epithelioid cells, or necrotic debris. The results showed that VLM
granulomas are the most frequent granulomatous
hepatitis in children in our county. This agrees with the high prevalence of anti-Toxocara
antibodies in the serum of children admitted to the Children's Reference Hospital. The 3.2% frequency of liver VLM
granulomas in autopsies is less than the 30-39% frequency of positive serology in these children, probably reflecting the low larval burden in infected children.