Toxocara canis infection: clinical and epidemiological associations with seropositivity in kindergarten children.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

To determine epidemiological and clinical associations with Toxocara canis seropositivity, we studied 333 (87%) children of a cohort of 383 five- to seven-year-olds. The prevalence of seropositivity (antibody titer to T canis, greater than or equal to 1:32) was 23.1%. Black children were more frequently seropositive than were white children, as were children of parents who did not graduate from high school. In a sample of seropositive and seronegative children, seropositivity was associated with both a history of pica and puppy ownership, but not with a greater frequency of symptoms and signs that occur in visceral larva migrans or with poor growth. No child had evidence of ocular toxocariasis on retinal examination. For the whole sample, poor reading achievement, marked distractibility, and lower intelligence were associated with seropositivity, but by using multiple regression analysis, we found that these associations may be attributable to confounding variables.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Worley, G; Green, JA; Frothingham, TE; Sturner, RA; Walls, KW; Pakalnis, VA; Ellis, GS

Published Date

  • April 1984

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 149 / 4

Start / End Page

  • 591 - 597

PubMed ID

  • 6725991

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0022-1899

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1093/infdis/149.4.591

Language

  • eng

Conference Location

  • United States