Toxocara spp. contamination in city parks of Villavicencio, Colombia
Toxocara spp. is the most prevalent zoonotic geohelminth worldwide and the causative agent of toxocariosis, a globally neglected disease. Dogs and cats serve as the definitive hosts and are the main disseminators of embryonated eggs through their feces. In Colombia, the department of Meta lacks epid...
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| Formato: | Artículo revista |
| Lenguaje: | Español |
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Universidad Nacional del Nordeste
2026
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| Acceso en línea: | https://revistas.unne.edu.ar/index.php/vet/article/view/9055 |
| Aporte de: |
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I48-R154-article-9055 |
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ojs |
| institution |
Universidad Nacional del Nordeste |
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I-48 |
| repository_str |
R-154 |
| container_title_str |
Revistas UNNE - Universidad Nacional del Noroeste (UNNE) |
| language |
Español |
| format |
Artículo revista |
| topic |
Ecoepidemiology Geohelminthiasis Public health Zoonosis ecoepidemiología geohelmintiasis salud pública zoonosis |
| spellingShingle |
Ecoepidemiology Geohelminthiasis Public health Zoonosis ecoepidemiología geohelmintiasis salud pública zoonosis Rey, Daniela Márquez Aguilera, Juan Pablo Torres Díaz, Linda Flor Vásquez Turriago, Chaira Liz Angelica Vásquez Trujillo, Adolfo Jaramillo Hernández, Dumar Alexander Toxocara spp. contamination in city parks of Villavicencio, Colombia |
| topic_facet |
Ecoepidemiology Geohelminthiasis Public health Zoonosis ecoepidemiología geohelmintiasis salud pública zoonosis |
| author |
Rey, Daniela Márquez Aguilera, Juan Pablo Torres Díaz, Linda Flor Vásquez Turriago, Chaira Liz Angelica Vásquez Trujillo, Adolfo Jaramillo Hernández, Dumar Alexander |
| author_facet |
Rey, Daniela Márquez Aguilera, Juan Pablo Torres Díaz, Linda Flor Vásquez Turriago, Chaira Liz Angelica Vásquez Trujillo, Adolfo Jaramillo Hernández, Dumar Alexander |
| author_sort |
Rey, Daniela |
| title |
Toxocara spp. contamination in city parks of Villavicencio, Colombia |
| title_short |
Toxocara spp. contamination in city parks of Villavicencio, Colombia |
| title_full |
Toxocara spp. contamination in city parks of Villavicencio, Colombia |
| title_fullStr |
Toxocara spp. contamination in city parks of Villavicencio, Colombia |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Toxocara spp. contamination in city parks of Villavicencio, Colombia |
| title_sort |
toxocara spp. contamination in city parks of villavicencio, colombia |
| description |
Toxocara spp. is the most prevalent zoonotic geohelminth worldwide and the causative agent of toxocariosis, a globally neglected disease. Dogs and cats serve as the definitive hosts and are the main disseminators of embryonated eggs through their feces. In Colombia, the department of Meta lacks epidemiological data on this parasite. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of Toxocara spp. eggs in public parks and to assess the relationship between parasite load, park area, and socioeconomic stratum across the ten communes of Villavicencio city. Fresh fecal samples were collected from 51 randomly selected public parks distributed among the ten communes. Samples were processed using the Kato-Katz technique to quantify Toxocara spp. eggs per gram of feces (epg). Prevalence and epg were analyzed by commune; epg was correlated with park area, and prevalence was compared among socioeconomic strata using the prevalence ratio (PR) and Chi-square (X2) test, with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Toxocara spp. eggs were detected in 60.7% (31/51, median: 73.75, range: 0-248.8 epg) of the parks. Higher contamination levels were found in communes 4 (87.5%, 7/8, median: 160, range: 20-260 epg) and 5 (72.7%, 8/11, median: 140, range: 0-280 epg). No significant correlation was observed between epg and park area (Spearman, p = 0.326). Parks located in socioeconomic stratum 3 showed a higher prevalence (73%, 11/15) than those in the other strata, although the association was not statistically significant (PR: 1.46; 95% CI: 0.52-4.1; X2 p = 0.34). The high level of Toxocara contamination in Villavicencio’s public parks underscores the need for improved control measures and responsible pet ownership to reduce environmental and public health risks. |
| publisher |
Universidad Nacional del Nordeste |
| publishDate |
2026 |
| url |
https://revistas.unne.edu.ar/index.php/vet/article/view/9055 |
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2026-01-17T05:00:43Z |
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2026-01-17T05:00:43Z |
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I48-R154-article-90552026-01-02T16:21:20Z Toxocara spp. contamination in city parks of Villavicencio, Colombia Contaminación de Toxocara spp. en parques de la ciudad de Villavicencio Rey, Daniela Márquez Aguilera, Juan Pablo Torres Díaz, Linda Flor Vásquez Turriago, Chaira Liz Angelica Vásquez Trujillo, Adolfo Jaramillo Hernández, Dumar Alexander Ecoepidemiology Geohelminthiasis Public health Zoonosis ecoepidemiología geohelmintiasis salud pública zoonosis Toxocara spp. is the most prevalent zoonotic geohelminth worldwide and the causative agent of toxocariosis, a globally neglected disease. Dogs and cats serve as the definitive hosts and are the main disseminators of embryonated eggs through their feces. In Colombia, the department of Meta lacks epidemiological data on this parasite. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of Toxocara spp. eggs in public parks and to assess the relationship between parasite load, park area, and socioeconomic stratum across the ten communes of Villavicencio city. Fresh fecal samples were collected from 51 randomly selected public parks distributed among the ten communes. Samples were processed using the Kato-Katz technique to quantify Toxocara spp. eggs per gram of feces (epg). Prevalence and epg were analyzed by commune; epg was correlated with park area, and prevalence was compared among socioeconomic strata using the prevalence ratio (PR) and Chi-square (X2) test, with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Toxocara spp. eggs were detected in 60.7% (31/51, median: 73.75, range: 0-248.8 epg) of the parks. Higher contamination levels were found in communes 4 (87.5%, 7/8, median: 160, range: 20-260 epg) and 5 (72.7%, 8/11, median: 140, range: 0-280 epg). No significant correlation was observed between epg and park area (Spearman, p = 0.326). Parks located in socioeconomic stratum 3 showed a higher prevalence (73%, 11/15) than those in the other strata, although the association was not statistically significant (PR: 1.46; 95% CI: 0.52-4.1; X2 p = 0.34). The high level of Toxocara contamination in Villavicencio’s public parks underscores the need for improved control measures and responsible pet ownership to reduce environmental and public health risks. Toxocara spp. es el principal geohelminto zoonótico que causa la toxocariosis, una enfermedad globalmente desatendida. Caninos y felinos son los hospederos definitivos de este parásito y los principales dispersores de huevos embrionados a través de sus heces. En Colombia, el departamento del Meta adolece datos epidemiológicos de este parásito, siendo el propósito de este trabajo el de hallar la prevalencia de huevos de Toxocara spp. en parques públicos y correlacionar la carga y presencia parasitaria con área del parque y estratos socioeconómicos, respectivamente, de las 10 comunas de la ciudad de Villavicencio. Para ello, se colectaron heces frescas en 51 parques públicos seleccionados aleatoriamente dentro de las 10 comunas de la ciudad. Las heces se procesaron usando la técnica de Kato-Katz para determinar la carga parasitaria de huevos de Toxocara spp. por gramo de materia fecal (hpg). Se analizó la prevalencia y hpg por comuna, se correlacionó hpg con el área del parque y prevalencia con el estrato socioeconómico usando razón de prevalencia (RP) y Chi cuadrado (X2), con un intervalo de confianza del 95% (IC95%). El estudio reveló una prevalencia de huevos de Toxocara spp. del 60,7% (31/51, con Me 73,75 rango 0 a 248,8 hpg) de los parques. Hubo mayor contaminación de los parques de las comunas 4 (87,5%, 7/8, Me: 160, rango 20 a 260 hpg) y 5 (72,7%, 8/11, Me: 140, rango 0 a 280). No hubo correlación significativa entre hpg y el área del parque (Spearman, p = 0,326). Los parques ubicados en el estrato socioeconómico 3 mostraron mayor prevalencia (73%, 11/15) que los parques ubicados en los otros estratos, aunque sin correlación significativa entre estas dos variables (RP:1,46; IC95%: 0,52–4,1, X2 p = 0,34). Los parques públicos de Villavicencio presentan alta contaminación por Toxocara, lo que exige mayor control y tenencia responsable de mascotas. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste 2026-01-02 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://revistas.unne.edu.ar/index.php/vet/article/view/9055 10.30972/vet.3719055 Revista Veterinaria; Vol. 37 (2026); 1-8 Revista Veterinaria; Vol. 37 (2026); 1-8 1669-6840 1668-4834 spa https://revistas.unne.edu.ar/index.php/vet/article/view/9055/8758 Derechos de autor 2026 Daniela Rey, Juan Pablo Márquez Aguilera, Linda Flor Torres Díaz, Chaira Liz Angelica Vásquez Turriago, Adolfo Vásquez Trujillo, Dumar Alexander Jaramillo Hernández https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0 |