Toxocara infection is not associated with viral or bacterial central nervous system infection in children.
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.
Musso
C
C
Infectious Diseases Unit, Federal University of Espirito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil.
Lemos
E M
EM
Tsanaclis
A M C
AM
Pereira
F E L
FE
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
D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D007074:Immunoglobulin G