High Seroprevalence of Toxocara Infection among Mentally Retarded Patients in Hormozgan Province, Southern Iran

Abstract

Mentally retarded individuals are more likely to become infected with soil-transmitted infections including toxocariasis. The current study aimed to determine the serostatus of toxocariasis among institutionalized mentally retarded individuals in Hormozgan Province, in the south of Iran. Subjects of the study were 117 mentally disabled individuals, including children and adults, maintained in a charity-based institution. Three millilitres of venous blood was taken from each subject. While sampling, demographic features of the subject were documented in a questionnaire. An ELISA system based on Toxocara larvae excretory-secretory antigens (TES) was utilized to detect anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies in the sera of the patients. The mean age of the subject was 27.6 (±12.31) years and consisted of 55 (47%) males and 62 (53%) females. Out of 117 cases, 33 (28.2%) were seropositive for toxocariasis. The seroprevalence was higher in females (37.1%) than males (18.2%), and the difference was statistically significant ( $p$  < 0.05). Out of 117 subjects, 76 (64.9%) had severe and 41 (35.1%) had profound mental retardation. Anti-Toxocara antibodies were detected in 18 (23.7%) patients with severe and 15 (35.6%) patients with profound mental retardation. The highest seroprevalence rate of toxocariasis (44.4%) was observed in the age group of ≤10 years followed by 21–30 years old (36.7%). No statistically significant association was seen between the age and also the duration of residency in the care center and seropositivity of toxocariasis ( $p$  > 0.05). The current study represents the high prevalence of toxocariasis in mentally retarded patients in Hormozgan Province, southern Iran. The elevated seroprevalence rate of toxocariasis in the current study indicates that these subjects constitute a high-risk group for Toxocara infection, which may be attributed to their behavioral patterns.