RESEARCH PAPER
Quantifying the risk of zoonotic geohelminth infections for rural household inhabitants in Central Poland
,
 
 
 
 
More details
Hide details
1
Witold Stefański Institute of Parasitology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
 
2
Laboratory of Parasitology, Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Warsaw, Poland
 
 
Ann Agric Environ Med. 2017;24(1):44-48
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk of soil transmitted zoonotic helminth infections for families with young children, inhabitants of villages in the Mazowieckie Province of Central Poland. Epidemiological survey was conducted at 33 randomly selected households with 2–3 children present. Examination of soil samples from yards surrounding the houses for the presence of geohelminth eggs was conducted, the households were inspected, and family members interviewed using a designed questionnaire. Among 55 localities examined, i.e. 33 backyards, 10 vegetable gardens and 12 sandpits, contamination was found in 2 backyards (6.1%) and 1 sandpit (8.3%) at 3 households (9.1%). Of the total 550 examined soil samples, 4 (0.7%) were found to contain Trichuris and Toxocara eggs, with an average density of 1.5 and 2.0 eggs per sample. The study showed a low level of soil contamination, which was the result of inhabitants care about the sanitation of their domiciles. However, the results of the questionnaire survey demonstrated the need to warn rural residents about the risk factors for zoonotic helmints infections. In particular, parents should be advised how to minimize the threat of parasitic diseases for children in the rural environment. The presented study showed that promotional campaigns implemented in recent years on the prevention of parasitic zoonoses have had little effect to increase the awareness of the rural community. The present results confirmed that Toxocara is the most common zoonotic agent among geohelminths in the rural environment.
REFERENCES (24)
1.
Dubna S, Langrova I, Jankovska I, Vadlejch J, Pekar S, Napravnik J, Fechtner J. Contamination of soil with Toxocara eggs in urban (Prague) and rural areas in the Czech Republic. Vet Parasitol. 2007; 144: 81–86.
 
2.
Borecka A, Gawor J, Niedworok M, Sordyl B. Occurrence of Toxocara spp. eggs in household environment of children with diagnosed toxocariasis in Łódź voivodeship. Wiad Parazytol. 2010; 56: 141–144. (Abstract in English).
 
3.
Bojar H, Kłapeć T. Contamination of soil with eggs of geohelminths in recreation areas in the Lublin region of Poland. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2012; 19 (2): 267–270.
 
4.
Kłapeć T, Borecka A. Contamination of vegetables, fruits and soil with geohelmints eggs on organic farms in Poland. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2012; 19(3): 481–485.
 
5.
Błaszkowska J, Kurnatowski P, Damięcka P. Contamination of the soil by eggs of geohelminths in rural areas of Lodz district (Poland). Helminthologia 2011; 48: 67–76.
 
6.
Aydenizöz-Özkayhan M. Soil contamination with ascarid eggs in playgrounds in Kirikkale, Turkey. J Helminthol. 2006; 80: 15–18.
 
7.
Traversa D. Are we paying too much attention to cardiopulmonary nematodes and neglecting old-fashioned worms like Trichuris vulpis? Parasites&Vectors 2011; 4: 32.
 
8.
Traversa D. Pet roundworms and hookworms: a continuing need for global worming. Parasites&Vectors 2012; 5: 91.
 
9.
Deplazes P, van Knappen F, Schweiger A, Overgaauw PAM. Role of pet dogs and cats in the transmission of helmintic zoonoses in Europe, with focus on echinococcosis and toxocarosis. Vet Parasitol. 2011; 182: 41–53.
 
10.
Pivetti-Pezzi P. Ocular toxocariasis. Int J Med Sci. 2009; 6: 129–130.
 
11.
Błaszkowska J, Wójcik A, Kurnatowski P, Szwabe K. Geohelminth egg contamination of children`s play areas in the city of Lodz (Poland). Vet Parasitol. 2013; 192: 228–233.
 
12.
Gundlach JL, Sadzikowski AB, Tomczuk K. Contamination of selected urban and rural environments with Toxocara eggs. Med Wet. 1996; 52: 395–396.
 
13.
Overgauuw PAM, van Knappen F. Veterinary and public health aspects of Toxocara spp. Vet Parasitol. 2013; 193: 398–403.
 
14.
Gawor J, Borecka A. The contamination of the environment with Toxocara eggs in Mazowieckie Voivodship as a risk of toxocarosis in children. Wiad Parazytol. 2004; 50: 237–241.
 
15.
Borecka A. Prevalence of intestinal nematodes of dogs in the Warsaw area, Poland. Helminthologia 2005; 42: 35–39.
 
16.
Tylkowska A, Pilarczyk B, Gregorczyk A, Templin E. Gastrointestinal helminths of dogs in Western Pomerania, Poland. Wiad Parazytol. 2010; 56(3): 269–276.
 
17.
Mizgajska-Wiktor H, Jarosz w. Potential risk of zoonotic infections in recreational areas visited by Sus scrofa and Vulpes vulpes. Case study – Wolin Island, Poland. Wiad Parazytol. 2010; 56(3): 243–251.
 
18.
Robertson ID, Irwin PJ, Lymbery AJ, Thompson RCA. The role of companion animals in the emergence of parasitic zoonoses. Int J Parasitol. 2000; 30: 1369–1377.
 
19.
Gawor J, Borecka A, Żarnowska H, Marczyńska M, Dobosz S. Environmental and personal risk factors for toxocariasis in children with diagnosed disease in urban and rural areas of central Poland. Vet Parasitol. 2008; 155: 217–222.
 
20.
Dada BJO. A new technique for the recovery of Toxocara eggs from soil. J Helminthol. 1979; 53: 141–144.
 
21.
Sakano T, Hamamoto K, Kobayashi Y, Sakata Y, Tsuji M, Usui T. Visceral larva migrans caused by Trichuris vulpis. Arch Dis Child. 1980; 55: 631–633.
 
22.
Dunn JJ, Columbus ST, Aldeen WE, Davis M, Carroll KC. Trichuris vulpis recovered from patient with chronic diarrhea and five dogs. J Clin Microbiol. 2002; 40: 2703–2704.
 
23.
Uga S, Minami T, Nagata K. Defecation habits of cats and dogs and contamination by Toxocara eggs in public park sand pits. Am J Trop Med. 1996; 54: 122–126.
 
24.
Overgaauw PAM. Aspects of Toxocara epidemiology: toxocarosis in dogs and cats. Crit Rev Microbiol. 1997; 23: 233–252.
 
eISSN:1898-2263
ISSN:1232-1966
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top