Soil of periurban dwellings like scenario of development and/or infection of potentially zoonotic parasites in northeast of Argentina

Abstract

In this research, soil contamination in household environment with soil-borne parasites species in dwellings of a periurban neighborhood and a shantytown in northeast of Argentina was described and associated with sanitary variables. Each house evaluated was considered as a unit of analysis. The samples were analyzed under three different techniques: centrifugal sedimentation; Willis Molloy flotation and flotation with Sheather's solution. Out of the 30 houses analyzed, 12 (40.0%) presented at least one parasitic forms in soil samples. We recorded three taxa, the most prevalent were nematodes larvae (related to hookworms), reported in the 30% of dwellings followed by Toxocara canis and Trichuris vulpis eggs and Cytoisospora canis oocyst in the 3,3% of houses. No statistical association was observed between soil contamination and the sanitary variables (p > 0.05). These preliminary results demonstrate that domestic environment soil could represent a high potential for infection and re-infection for humans, principally young children and their pets.