Seroprevalence of Toxocara Infection among Asthmatic Children in Shiraz City, Southern Iran.

BACKGROUND: Human toxocariasis is caused by Toxocara canis and T. cati , the nematodes in the intestine of dogs and cats, respectively. Since the association between asthma and toxocariasis is controversial, the aim of the present study was to investigate the seroprevalence of Toxocara infection among asthmatic children in comparison with healthy children.

METHODS: This case-control study was conducted on 92 asthmatic and 91 healthy children aged 1-16 years old in Shiraz City, Southern Iran in 2019-2020. The serum samples were tested for IgG anti- Toxocara antibodies by ELISA method using the T. canis larval excretory-secretory (E/S) antigens. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software.

RESULTS: The seroprevalence of toxocariasis in asthmatic patients was higher than the healthy children with no significant difference in Toxocara seropositivity between two groups (9.8% vs 8.8%, P = 0.817). The association between Toxocara infection and variables such as gender and age were not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: There was no significant association between toxocariasis and childhood asthma. Further study on different regions such as urban and rural areas with a large sample size and using questionnaire for considering risk factors of asthma and toxocariasis is recommended.