title: Toxocara infection is not associated with viral or bacterial central nervous system infection in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Helminth infections with larvae that migrate through the tissues have been considered risk factors for CNS infections.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present work was designed to investigate the prevalence of anti- TOXOCARA antibodies in the serum and/or in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of children with infectious meningitis or meningoencephalitis and of a control group, without meningitis, admitted at the Children's Hospital NS Glória, Vitória, ES, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  After adsorption with ASCARIS LUMBRICOIDES antigen, serum and/or cerebrospinal fluid of 381 inpatients (201 with meningitis and 180 without meningitis) were submitted to an ELISA IgG, for anti- TOXOCARA antibodies using secretion/excretion antigens of third stage larvae of T. CANIS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences between the meningitis and the control groups were observed in the frequencies of positive tests for anti- TOXOCARA antibodies in the serum or CSF (respectively for the meningitis and control group: 33/103 or 32 % and 52/152 or 34.2 % for the serum, p = 0.821; 48/184 or 26.1 % and 23/121 or 19.0 % for the CSF; p = 0.196.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results demonstrated that TOXOCARA infection, evaluated by detection of anti- TOXOCARA antibodies in serum or CSF, is not associated with viral or bacterial meningitis or meningoencephalitis in children in our country.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Unit, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Musso
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Lemos
authors.forename: A M C
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tsanaclis
authors.forename: F E L
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Pereira
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008581:Meningitis / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014119:Toxocara / Q000276:immunology*; D014120:Toxocariasis / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D007074:Immunoglobulin G