Study on the Seroprevalence of Cystic Echinococcosis and Toxocariasis in the Rural Population Referred to Reference Laboratory in Urmia, Northwest Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) and toxocariasis are the two important zoonoses worldwide, and both are endemic in Iran, especially in rural areas. The present study was aimed at determining the seroprevalence of human CE and toxocariasis in rural inhabitants of Urmia District, Northwest Iran. Materials and Methods: During 6 months (January to May 2023), 698 sera were obtained from the rural population of Urmia District, Northwest Iran, referred to the reference laboratory in Urmia. Seropositivity for CE and toxocariasis was determined in 698 and 430 individuals using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits (ELISA), respectively. Data were analyzed with SPSS v.23 software using respective tests. Results: Eight out of 698 (1.1%) and 87 out of 430 (19.9%) of sera were positive for anti-Echinococcus IgG and anti-Toxocara IgG, respectively. The CE seropositivity was 1.3% in females compared to 0.8% in males. Anti-Toxocara seropositivity was significantly lower in females (46, 17.0%; p = 0.036, OR = 0.628) compared to males (41, 24.6%). Furthermore, the seropositivity was significantly higher in patients with a history of consistent dog contact and those who consumed raw vegetables without washing with disinfectants/detergents. A patient was found to be coinfected by both infections, CE and toxocariasis. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, both CE and toxocariasis are present in rural areas of Urmia District, which is alarming, because CE is a serious infection even with low prevalence. Toxocariasis, on the other hand, is considerably high in prevalence, showing the high risk of infection with Toxocara spp. in these areas.