Frequency of Toxocara Egg in Public Parks Shiraz/Iran

Toxocariasis or visceral larva migrans syndrome is a disease that appears by attack of extra intestinal animal nematode larvae of Toxocara canis to the human tissues. The present study was performed to evaluate the frequency of Toxocara eggs in public parks of Shiraz /Iran. A total of 20 parks from different regions of shiraz city were selected, and from different parts of each park (children's play area, living area and four sides of the park) 10 surface soil samples were collected. In the laboratory, after washing and filtration with flotation method, microscopic study was done for parasitic elements. From total of 20 parks, 3 ones (15%) were infected with Toxocara eggs. Microscopic identification of eggs in each field ranged from 1 to 8 eggs. Furthermore, 2 polluted parks were in the south and one was in the North East of the city. Since the soils of some public parks are infected with Toxocara eggs, to reduce the risk of human contamination, preventative programs and more studies are recommended.