Epidemiological study of toxocariasis using ELISA and PCR techniques in some areas of Salah Al-Deen Governorate/ Iraq

Abstract

Toxocariasis is one of the most important zoonotic diseases resulting from Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati, and they are among the most important parasitic nematodes in the small intestine of dogs and cats and other canidae and felidae, which accidentally infect humans. This study designed to diagnose Toxocariasis in human in some areas of Salah El-Din Governorate using ELISA- TEST IgG and PCR techniques, and finding the relationship of toxocariasis with age, gender, residential location, profession. In the current study 277 blood samples of people living in different areas of Salah Al-Deen Governorate, of both sexes were teasted, their ages ranged between 15-60 years, to investigate toxocariasis, using IgG test-ELISA techniques and PCR, from November to June 2019. The number of positive serum samples for ELISA test was 22%. The infection in Tikrit and Baiji district reached 23.9%, and in Al-Alam district 17.9%, by ELISA test. The highest infection was recorded in 37-47 years old with percentage was 23.94%, and the highest rate of infection was within males group and 36-26 years old and in females The highest rate was among 15-25 years and 37-47 years, and it reached 21.8%, and the infection among the uneducated group was 26.6%, and for those who owned dogs and cats, was 26.31%. The prevalence of the nematode eggs in stool samples was 23.3% in Baiji district, while the prevalence rate in soil samples was 30%, 45% in Baiji , and Al-Alam district, respectively. The molecular study was carried out to distinguish between Toxocara canis and T. cati eggs using ITS gene marker of helminthes eggs after DNA samples were extracted, which could serve as an effective genetic marker for identifying Toxocara spp. Which are closely related formally so that they cannot be distinguished from each other. The results of current research were absence of diagnostic gene in studied samples indicating that they are different types of worms and contain different diagnostic genes.