CANINE AND HUMAN TOXOCARIASIS

Abstract

Toxocariasis is a worldwide disease caused by Toxocara spp. especially T. canis. Human beings, become accidentally infected by the ingestion of embryonated eggs present in soil. The larvae of Toxocara sp. hatch in the small intestine and migrate throughout the body, causing toxocariasis. The disease may be asymptomatic, however it may causes disturbs in the ocular system, leading to sight loss or blindness, and in different organs such as the nervous system. Recent studies has incriminated human toxocariasis as a food-borne parasitic disease by consume of raw meat of paratenic hosts as birds and ruminants. The aim of this review is to present the importance of both canine and human toxocariasis, including epidemiological and epizootiological aspects of the disease, the diagnosis, treatment and prophylaxis.