SEROPREVALENCE FOR TOXOCARIASIS BETWEEN SCHOOLCHILDREN OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL IN BELO HORIZONTE, MINAS GERAIS, BRAZIL AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS

Abstract

A high prevalence of toxocariasis has been observed in many countries worldwide, especially in tropical countries. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of toxocariasis and its associated factors in 100 children from a public school in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Sociodemographic data, lifestyle habits, self-reported health conditions, as well as characteristics related to housing and the presence of pets, were collected. In addition, clinical exams, anthropometric measurements, and laboratory exams (hemogram, total IgG, total IgE, and anti-Toxocara canis IgG ELISA) were carried out. Among the evaluated children, 15% presented positive serology for toxocariasis. The participants with positive and negative results were compared by means of either a Student’s t test, for the two samples, or the Mann-Whitney test, and only the total IgG parameter proved to be statistically different among them. Considering the positive serology, the variable of age, the presence of puppies, contact with the ground, and the BMI (thinness) status proved to be significantly associated. These variables were included in a multiple logistics regression model to identify the factors independently associated with the response variable. The significance level adopted in the final model was of 0.05. Also in the final model, the variable of contact with the ground and the BMI status remained at a p-value of 0.025 and 0.030, respectively. An epidemiologically relevant prevalence of toxocariasis was found in the studied population. This prevalence serves as a warning sign that disease control measures need to be better publicized and implemented.