Seroepidemiology of Toxocara canis infection among mountain aboriginal adults in Taiwan.
Seroepidemiology of Toxocara canis infection among adults of one ethnic Han and five aboriginal populations residing in mountainous areas of Taiwan was conducted by detecting serum IgG (>/=1:64) using a T. canis larval excretory-secretory antigen-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A short questionnaire interview was conducted to obtain data concerning their age, sex, occupation, consumption of raw pig liver, and possession of dogs. The overall seroprevalence (46.0%, 247 of 537) in the five aboriginal populations was significantly higher than that of ethnic Han population (30.2%, 13 of 43) (P = 0.04). Age, but not sex, seemed to be a factor related to positive serology. Aboriginal adults who had histories of eating raw pig liver (odds ratio [OR] = 1.65, P < 0.01), raising dogs (OR = 1.76, P < 0.01), or whose occupation was a laborer (OR = 1.78, P < 0.01) seemed to be more apt to be infected by T. canis than those without such histories and unemployed persons.
Division of Parasitology, Graduate Institute of Microbiology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Chia-Kwung
CK
Fan
Hung-Shue
HS
Lan
Chien-Ching
CC
Hung
Wen-Cheng
WC
Chung
Chien-Wei
CW
Liao
Wen-Yuan
WY
Du
Kua-Eyre
KE
Su
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood*; D044466:Asian People; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D017166:Toxocara canis / Q000276:immunology*; D014120:Toxocariasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology
D000909:Antibodies, Helminth