Immunologically determined prevalence rates of antibodies to toxocara canis in school children in Trinidad, West Indies - abstract

ABSTRACT

Preliminary observations of a high frequency of serum antibodies to Toxocara canis in patients attending Eye Clinic at the General Hospital, Port of Spain, Trinidad led to the hypothesis that children with pet dogs may have as high a frequency. Hence, the sera of 339 school children, randomly selected from the school register, were tested by ELISA for the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies to T. canis. The prevalence rate of T. canis antibodies in schoolchildren in Countries Victoria and St. Patrick (32.5 percent) were similar but higher than that in Country Caroni (12.7 percent). Overall, a prevalence rate for Trinidad was determined (77.6 percent) which was similar to that found in Dominica (78.9 percent), St. Kitts/Nevis (75.3 percent) and Grenada (78.5 percent). Apart from Toxocara, other helminths only, 12 had helminths and protozoan parasites and 26 had protozoan parasites only. Of 31/83 students without antibodies to T. canis, 7 had helminths only, 2 had helminths and protozoan parasites and 22 had protozoan parasites only (AU)