Toxocara

Toxocara

1. Infection with acrid nematode

   • family Toixcaridae

2. 3 main infections

   • Toxocara cati
     • Cat
   • Toxocara canis
     • Dog
   • Toxocara Leona
     • Fox
   • Definintive host - animals
     • Parasite lives as adult
       • worms in the lumen of intestine
   • Infection occurs by ingestion of eggs
     • Hatched eggs
       • Juvenile worms
         • Pass through any tissue

3. Pathology

   • depends on which tissue invaded
   • lungs
     • liver
   • eyes
   • depends on death of junvenille worms
   • Hypersensitiviy response
     • eisonophills and granuloma
       • brain and liver
         • Visceral Larvae Migrans
           • Young children <5
             • fever, enlarged liver and spleen
           • eisonophilla 70%
           • CNS
             • encephaly
             • Neurphysichatric
           • asthama
             • weezing
             • lungs
       • retina and optic nerve
         • Ocular Larvae migrans
           • can be loss of site
             • DESPOMMIER, 2003
           • age 5-10
           • unilateral vision impairment
             • granuloma formation on retina
             • level depends on area affected

4. Lifecycle

   • ingestion of embryonated eggs
     • definitive host
     • aberrent host
       • children in play grounds
         • contaminated
           • indiscriminant defication
     • Ingestion eggs hatch
       • Juvenille worms
         • move anywhere in body
           • infect all organs
         • definitive host
           • form mature adult worms
             • 60-90days
               • larvae hatch
                 • matching of diecious worms
                   • produces eggs
             • can not be spread between species
           • Transplacental infection
     • embryonation in soil
       • week or so
       • lower temps
         • longer incubation
         • spring ebryonation

5. Treatment

   • 5 day
   • Albenadazole
     • Young patients
   • Thiabenazole
     • older Patient
   • Cortcoidstrioids
     • suppress allergic reaction
     • Vaccine
       • Too expensive
       • mass administration

6. Diagnosis

   • Suspection
     • child with febrile illness or high eiosophilla
   • Preciptin test
     • Cross react common antigen of larvae

7. Prevention

   • Reduce number of domesticated animals
   • remove sandpits from playgrounds
   • eggs resistant to cholrine