Serosurvey of Toxocariasis and Its Association With Allergic Asthma in Children: A Case-Control Study in Southwest Iran.

Abstract

Evidence from multiple data sources indicates that toxocariasis might play a role in the allergic asthma in children. This case-control study investigated the connection between Toxocara seropositivity and allergic asthma. It also sought to identify the conventional risk factors associated with both asthma and Toxocara infection. In this case-control study, 200 allergic asthma children and 208 children with no history of allergic asthma were included as the healthy group. Sera samples were examined for specific anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies using a serological assay. The overall prevalence of toxocariasis was 6.9% among children. The seroprevalence of toxocariasis in asthmatic children and healthy children was 8% and 5.8%, respectively, with no significant difference (p-value = 0.373). In subgroup analyses based on sociodemographic, Toxocara infection seropositivity was significantly associated with two independent variables, including the father's occupation (p-value = 0.017) and soil contact in asthmatic children (p-value = 0.033). Our results showed a higher prevalence of Toxocara infection in asthmatic children compared to healthy controls, but this difference was not statistically significant. To gain a clearer understanding and comparison of Toxocara infection rates between asthmatic and healthy children, additional comprehensive studies with larger sample sizes and diverse detection methods using different antigenic sources are required.