Soil Contamination with Toxocara Spp. Eggs in Public Parks of Mashhad and Khaf, North East of Iran

Toxocariasis is an important disease caused by the larvae of parasitic worms such as Toxocara canis and T. cati. Public parks can be the source of toxocaria­sis for small children. This survey was conducted to deter­mine the preva­lence of Toxocara spp. ova in parks of Mashhad and Khaf northeastern Iran. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, performed in November 2011 to June 2012, overall, 340 soil samples were collected from 39 parks of Mash­had and 29 parks in Khaf city. Flotation method and direct smear were used, and the samples were evaluated using a light microscope. The results were analyzed using SPSS version 19 and Chi-square test. In the evaluation of 195 and 145 soil samples, 18 (9.2%) and 16 cases (11.3%) of contamina­tion with Toxocara spp. eggs were detected, respec­tively. Although the preva­lence of Toxocara eggs in soil samples was low, parks can be a source of Toxo­cara infection of children in these areas.