The Study of Soil Contamination by Toxocara spp. Eggs in Different Areas of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Southwest Iran

Abstract

Background and aims: Toxocariasis caused by the larvae of Toxocara spp. is a zoonotic infection<br />with global distribution that is considered an important health problem in the humans. The soil is<br />regarded as the main source of the transmission of Toxocara infection to susceptible hosts. This study<br />investigated the existence of Toxocara spp. ova in rural and urban public areas of Chaharmahal and<br />Bakhtiari province.<br />Methods: A total of 180 soil samples were randomly collected from 74 public places from urban and<br />rural areas of nine counties of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province during May to September, 2017.<br />The samples were examined for Toxocara spp. eggs by the modified sucrose flotation method.<br />Results: The contamination rate of the soil samples with Toxocara spp. ova varied within 0%-18.1% in<br />different counties. Overall, 9 (5%) out of 180 examined soil samples were found positive for Toxocara<br />spp. ova. Of nine investigated districts, Toxocara spp. ova were observed in four counties and the<br />highest rate of soil contamination was found in Farsan county with 18.1%. Finally, the prevalence of<br />Toxocara spp. eggs was more in the rural areas (6.7%) compared to the urban ones (3.3%).<br />Conclusion: This study was the first investigation regarding the contamination of Toxocara spp. eggs in<br />the soil of public places in rural and urban areas of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. According<br />to the results, the rate of soil contamination in this region was lower compared with the other parts of<br />Iran. Therefore, a further study is required to determine factors that may be involved in the distribution<br />of Toxocara spp. in different areas of this province.