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Role of small mammals in the epidemiology of toxocariasis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2009

P. Dubinský ,
K. Havasiová-Reiterová ,
B. Peťko ,
I. Hovorka  and
O. Tomašovičová
P. Dubinský
Affiliation:
Parasitological Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01 Košice, Slovak Republic
K. Havasiová-Reiterová
Affiliation:
Parasitological Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01 Košice, Slovak Republic
B. Peťko
Affiliation:
Parasitological Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01 Košice, Slovak Republic
I. Hovorka
Affiliation:
Parasitological Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01 Košice, Slovak Republic
O. Tomašovičová
Affiliation:
Parasitological Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01 Košice, Slovak Republic
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Summary

Studies were conducted on the role of small mammals in maintaining toxocariasis foci in urban, rural and montane biotopes. The lowest relative density of small mammals was recorded in the urban locality and the highest in the rural and montane localities. Anti-Toxocara antibodies were most frequently detected in synanthropic and hemisynanthropic species Mus musculus, Apodemus agrarius and Micromys minutus – 32·0, 30·4 and 25·0%, respectively. The highest seropositivity was found in small mammals from the urban and rural localities – 22·2 and 21·6%, respectively. Toxocara canis was most prevalent in urban stray dogs (75·0%) and least prevalent in foxes from the montane locality (7·0%). The prevalence of Toxocara cati in cats at the urban, rural and montane localities was 66·2, 65·2 and 76·9%, respectively. In clinically healthy human populations, the highest seroprevalence was detected in the rural locality (14·0%). Children of the same area were 3 times more seropositive (12·9%) than those from the urban and montane localities (4·3 and 4·0%). Our studies suggest an important role for small mammals as paratenic hosts – reservoirs of Toxocara larvae – in maintaining toxocariasis foci. In this respect toxocariasis may be classified as an anthropopurgic focal zoonosis.

Keywords

toxocariasisepidemiologysmall mammalsToxocara canisToxocara cati
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 110 , Issue 2 , February 1995 , pp. 187 - 193
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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