The prevalence of Toxocara cati in domestic cats in Mexico City.
The faeces of 520 domestic cats, resident in the 16 municipal authorities of Mexico City, were analysed using the method of centrifuging with zinc sulphate (at 33%). Three hundred and ninety-nine animals lived in houses, 121 in apartments. For the purpose of this study they were divided into seven age groups, of 6 months each. Toxocara cati eggs were found in the faeces of 42.5% of the animals. 20.7% of apartment cats and 49.1% of house cats were infected. This difference in the rate of infection is statistically significant (P<0.002.) for the house cats. T. cati was found in all the age groups although most infection was found in animals less than 1 year old. The fact that infection occurred in the whole age range of the cats and in all the municipal authorities means that the risk of being contaminated with this helminth in Mexico City is high. As a consequence, the possibility of developing illness as a result of becoming a host to larva migrans is also high.
Departamento de Atención a la Salud, Laboratorio de Parasitología Médica, Area de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco, Calzada del Hueso 1100 Colonia Villa Quietud, CP 04960, Mexico. imarti@cueyatl.com.mx
Ignacio
I
Martínez-Barbabosa
Oscar
O
Vázquez Tsuji
Raúl Romero
RR
Cabello
Elena Marcia Gutiérrez
EM
Cárdenas
Octavio Amancio
OA
Chasin
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000469:parasitology*; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D002415:Cats / Q000469:parasitology*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D010270:Parasite Egg Count / Q000662:veterinary; D015995:Prevalence; D014119:Toxocara / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014120:Toxocariasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*