seroepidemiological study of toxocariasis among volunteers animal husbandry workers and veterinary in southern anatolia in turkey in 2014

background: human toxocariasis is a parasitic infection caused by the larvae of toxocaracanis . we examine the toxocara seroprevalance in veterinarians and animal husbandry workers living in the mugla province, turkey to evaluate better the risk factors for toxocara exposure. methods: in 2014, 376 volunteers participated in the study in 2014. all blood specimens were tested using a commercial enzyme immunoassay kit and elisa positive samples were confirmed by western blot (wb) method. results: the seroprevalence of toxocara , as determined by wb, was 8%. a statistically significant correlation was evident between patient age and toxo­cara positivity among animal husbandry workers ( p = 0.029). a strong associa­tion was also evident between sex and seropositivity in the animal husbandry group ( p =0.024). veterinarians working in pet clinics did in fact exhibit higher toxocara seropositivities relative to those of other groups ( p = 0.029). a statisti­cally significant difference was detected between the rural geographic areas surveyed ( p = 0.04). conclusion: in mugla province, seroprevalence of toxocara is lower than other regions. despite the low seroprevalence observed, especially in high risk professions toxocariasis remains an important medical concern within the region.