Seroprevalence of toxocariasis in a hospital based sample in Ireland

Sero-epidemiology of toxocariasis in school children

The seroprevalence of toxocariasis was investigated in 2129 school children ranging in age from 4 to 19 years. Infection, as measured by titre, was found to be high compared to values obtained from children in other countries, with 31% having a titre of > or = 1:50 and 3.1% having titres of > or = 1:800. Relationships between seroprevalence and host factors including age, sex and location, and risk factors including geophagia, thumbsucking and pet ownership were explored. Age was found to be a significant factor in relation to infection with Toxocara. Males were significantly more infected than females, as were the inhabitants of rural schools versus urban schools. The percentage of seropositive children varied widely from school to school. Geophagia and pet ownership were found to be significantly associated with toxocariasis. Logistic regression analysis was used to model the relative contribution of these factors to infection with Toxocara. While this analysis identified factors which were highly significantly associated with Toxocara titre, the odds ratios were generally low indicating the low specificity of the model.