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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| Autores principales: | , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Artículo revista |
| Lenguaje: | Español |
| Publicado: |
Universidad Nacional del Nordeste
2026
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://revistas.unne.edu.ar/index.php/vet/article/view/9055 |
| Aporte de: |
| Sumario: | 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. |
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