Abstract:
Objective: The study determined the seroprevalence of
Toxocara canis infection among children attending
four selected health facilities in the Central Region of
Ghana.
Design: Cross-sectional study
Method: Sera from 566 children aged 1-15 years at-
tending four selected health facilities in the Central
Region of Ghana between July and September 2012
was used in a Toxocara excretory-secretory antigen-
based ELISA to detect serum IgG. A short question-
naire was designed to obtain data on respondents as to
age, gender, educational level, locality of residence,
habits of washing of fruits, vegetable and hands before
eating, keeping of pet (dogs or cats) , and history of
playing with soil and pets. Clinical information was
also collected. Associations between sero-positivity
and age group, gender, risk factors, educational level
and other variables were determined by Chi square test.
Results: The overall sero-prevalence was 53.5%
(n=566). Age, educational level and hospital visited
were significantly associated with sero-positivity (p<
0.05). Children with history of playing with soil
(χ2=9.03, p=0.003), pet-keeping (χ2=14.77, p=0.001)
and not washing hands with soap before eating
(χ2=5.82, p=0.016) were significantly associated with
sero-positivity.
Conclusion: The sero-prevalence of T. canis infection
in children in the study was high. The children should
be educated to desist from risk factors such as playing
with soil and pets and be encouraged to ensure proper
personal hygiene.
