Parasites, Hosts and Diseases

The Korea Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (대한기생충학·열대의학회)
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Seroprevalence of Toxocara antibodies among patients suspected of ocular toxocariasis in Slovenia

  • Logar, Jernej (Department of Parasitology, Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty, University of Ljubljana) ;
  • Soba, Barbara (Department of Parasitology, Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical Faculty, University of Ljubljana) ;
  • Kraut, Aleksandra (Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Ljubljana) ;
  • Branka, Stirn-Kranjc (Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center Ljubljana)
  • Published : 2004.09.01
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Abstract

Ocular toxocariasis named also ocular larva migrans is caused by larvae of the roundworm Toxocara spp. The purpose of this study was to find out the seroprevalence of Toxocara antibodies in patients suspected of ocular toxocariasis. Between January 2001 and December 2003, sera from 239 ocular patients, aged 3 to 80 years, were examined by ELISA and confirmed by Western blot test. Out of the 239 patients, 172 (72%) were seronegative and 67 (28%) were Toxocara seropositive; 95% CI (22-34%). The median age of Toxocara seropositive patients was 37.6 years. There was no significant difference in the number of Toxocara positive sera between the younger age group (${\leq}14$ years) and the older age group (＞14 years), p＞0.05. A high rate of Toxocara seropositivity in ocular patients should alert the ophthalmologists in Slovenia to include toxocariasis in the differential diagnosis of eye diseases more frequently.

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References

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