Assessment of the presence of toxocara eggs in soils of an arid area in central-western Argentina

• Autores: Bojanich, María Viviana; Alonso, José Mario; Caraballo, Nadina Ayelén; Schöller, Mercedes Itatí; López, María de los Ángeles; García, Leandro Daniel Martín; Basualdo, Juan Ángel
• Año de publicación: 2015
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Fuente: Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo, 2015, vol. 57, no. 1, p. 73-76.
• Materia: Toxocariosis; Soil contamination; Zoonotic; Environment; Laboratory method
• Institución: Universidad Nacional del Nordeste

Fil: Bojanich, María Viviana. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales y Agrimensura; Argentina.
Fil: Alonso, José Mario. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Instituto de Medicina; Argentina.
Fil: Caraballo, Nadina Ayelén. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Instituto de Medicina Regional; Argentina.
Fil: Schöller, Mercedes Itatí. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Instituto de Medicina Regional; Argentina.
Fil: López, María de los Ángeles. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Instituto de Medicina Regional; Argentina.
Fil: García, Leandro Daniel Martín. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Instituto de Medicina Regional; Argentina.
Fil: Basualdo, Juan Ángel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas; Argentina.
With the aim of studying the contamination of soils with eggs of Toxocara spp. in an arid area in the central-western region of Argentina, 76 soil samples were collected from 18 towns belonging to six provinces of central-western Argentina. They were processed by the centrifugal flotation method. No eggs of Toxocara spp. were found. It can be concluded that the negative results are directly related to the characteristics of the environment and climate present in the studied area. The finding of eggs in soils depends on several factors: the presence of canine or feline feces, the hygienic behavior of pet owners, the presence of stray animals without veterinary supervision, the weather and environmental conditions, and laboratory techniques used; and all these circumstances must be considered when comparing the results found in different geographical regions. In order to accurately define the importance of public spaces in the transmission of infection to humans, it is important to consider the role of backyards or green spaces around housing in small towns, where the population is not used to walking pets in public spaces, and in such cases a significant fraction of the population may acquire the infection within households.