Seroepidemiology of Toxocara canis infection among mountain aboriginal adults in Taiwan

Chia Kwung Fan, Hung Shue Lan, Chien Ching Hung, Wen Cheng Chung, Chien Wei Liao, Wen Yuan Du, Kua Eyre Su

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

53 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Seroepidemiology of Toxocara canis infection among adults of one ethnic Han and five aboriginal populations residing in mountainous areas of Taiwan was conducted by detecting serum IgG (≥1:64) using a T. canis larval excretory-secretory antigen-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A short questionnaire interview was conducted to obtain data concerning their age, sex, occupation, consumption of raw pig liver, and possession of dogs. The overall seroprevalence (46.0%, 247 of 537) in the five aboriginal populations was significantly higher than that of ethnic Han population (30.2%, 13 of 43) (P = 0.04). Age, but not sex, seemed to be a factor related to positive serology. Aboriginal adults who had histories of eating raw pig liver (odds ratio [OR] = 1.65, P <0.01), raising dogs (OR = 1.76, P <0.01), or whose occupation was a laborer (OR = 1.78, P = 0.01) seemed to be more apt to be infected by T. canis than those without such histories and unemployed persons.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)216-221
Number of pages6
JournalAmerican Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume71
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2004

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Virology
  • Parasitology

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