Aspectos clínico-epidemiológicos de la toxocariasis: una enfermedad desatendida en Venezuela y América Latina

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Abstract

La toxocariasis es una enfermedad zoonótica de gran importancia en términos de la morbilidad que puede producir en el ser humano y por lo difícil que puede resultar su control para la salud pública. Recientes hallazgos en cuanto a su asociación con otras patologías, el avance en técnicas diagnósticas y nuevos descubrimientos terapéuticos generan la inquietud de revisar un tópico de actualidad que puede ser considerado olvidado y desatendido por la escasez de estudios nacionales y latinos. En el presente artículo se hace una revisión de diferentes aspectos relacionados a la biología del parásito Toxocara canis y su relevancia clínico-epidemiológica en el ser humano, con énfasis en Venezuela y América Latina.

Translated abstract

Toxocariasis is a zoonotic disease of great importance in terms of its morbidity that it produces in the human beings, as well the difficulty that results its control for the public health. Recent findings in regard to its association with other pathologies, the advance in diagnostic techniques and new therapeutic discoveries have generated the interest in reviewing a topic of current attention that would be considered neglected due to scarcity of national and Latin American studies. In the current article a review of different aspects related to the biology of the parasite Toxocara canis and its clinical and epidemiological relevance in the human beings, with emphasis on Venezuela and Latin America is presented.

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Most cited references 295

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Control of neglected tropical diseases.

Peter Hotez, David H. Molyneux, Alan Fenwick … (2007)

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Neglected Infections of Poverty in the United States of America

Peter Hotez (2008)

In the United States, there is a largely hidden burden of diseases caused by a group of chronic and debilitating parasitic, bacterial, and congenital infections known as the neglected infections of poverty. Like their neglected tropical disease counterparts in developing countries, the neglected infections of poverty in the US disproportionately affect impoverished and under-represented minority populations. The major neglected infections include the helminth infections, toxocariasis, strongyloidiasis, ascariasis, and cysticercosis; the intestinal protozoan infection trichomoniasis; some zoonotic bacterial infections, including leptospirosis; the vector-borne infections Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, trench fever, and dengue fever; and the congenital infections cytomegalovirus (CMV), toxoplasmosis, and syphilis. These diseases occur predominantly in people of color living in the Mississippi Delta and elsewhere in the American South, in disadvantaged urban areas, and in the US–Mexico borderlands, as well as in certain immigrant populations and disadvantaged white populations living in Appalachia. Preliminary disease burden estimates of the neglected infections of poverty indicate that tens of thousands, or in some cases, hundreds of thousands of poor Americans harbor these chronic infections, which represent some of the greatest health disparities in the United States. Specific policy recommendations include active surveillance (including newborn screening) to ascertain accurate population-based estimates of disease burden; epidemiological studies to determine the extent of autochthonous transmission of Chagas disease and other infections; mass or targeted treatments; vector control; and research and development for new control tools including improved diagnostics and accelerated development of a vaccine to prevent congenital CMV infection and congenital toxoplasmosis.

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Human behaviour and the epidemiology of parasitic zoonoses.

Calum Macpherson (2005)

The behaviour of Homo sapiens has a pivotal role to play in the macro and microepidemiology of emerging or re-emerging parasitic zoonoses. Changing demographics and the concomitant alterations to the environment, climate, technology, land use and changes in human behavior, converge to favour the emergence and spread of parasitic zoonoses. The recent unprecedented movements of people, their animals and their parasites around the world, introduce and mix genes, cultural preferences, customs, and behavioral patterns. The increasing proclivity for eating meat, fish, crabs, shrimp, molluscs raw, undercooked, smoked, pickled or dried facilitates a number of protozoan (Toxoplasma), trematode (Fasciola sp., Paragonimus spp., Clonorchis sp., Opisthorchis spp., Heterophyes sp., Metagonimus sp., Echinostoma spp., Nanophyetus sp.) cestode (Taenia spp, Diphyllobothrum sp.) and nematode (Trichinella spp., Capillaria spp., Gnathostoma spp., Anisakis sp., Parastrongylus spp.) caused zoonoses. The increasing world population and the inability to keep pace with the provision of adequate sanitation and clean, safe drinking water, has led to an increased importance of waterborne zoonoses, such as those caused by Giardia, Cryptosporidium and Toxoplasma. Our close relationship with and the numerous uses to which we put companion animals and their ubiquitous distribution has resulted in dogs and cats unwitting participation in sharing over 60 parasite species including: Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Toxoplasma, most foodborne trematode species, Diphyllobothrum, Echinococcus spp., Ancylostoma and Toxocara. Changing human behaviour through education, to encourage the proper cooking of food, which may have cultural and social significance, will remain as challenging as controlling stray and feral pet populations, improving hygiene levels and the provision of safe drinking water and the proper use of sanctuary facilities. Long pre-patent periods and the normally insidious sub-clinical nature of most zoonoses makes advice requiring behavioural change for their control a difficult task. Our clearer understanding of the heterogeneity of susceptibility to infection, the complex genetic variations of people and parasite species and the development of molecular epidemiological tools is shedding more light on transmission routes and the spectrum of disease that is observed. Improved and new serological, molecular and imaging diagnostic tests and the development of broad spectrum chemotherapeutic agents has led to the attenuation of morbidity and mortality due to parasitic zoonoses in economically advantaged regions. Such advancements, in partnership with supportive behavioural change, has the potential for a sustainable global reduction in the burden of ill health due to parasitic zoonoses. Whether this will materialise is a challenge for us all.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Olinda Delgado: Role: ND

Alfonso J Rodríguez-Morales: Role: ND

Journal

Journal ID (publisher): bmsa

Title: Boletín de Malariología y Salud Ambiental

Abbreviated Title: Bol Mal Salud Amb

Publisher: Instituto de Altos Estudios en Salud Pública Dr. Arnoldo Gabaldon (Maracay )

ISSN: 1690-4648

Publication date (Print): July 2009

Volume: 49

Issue: 1

Pages: 1-33

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[1 ] Universidad Central de Venezuela Venezuela

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Publisher ID: S1690-46482009000100001

SO-VID: 3f42884c-c5c2-4227-85ff-2d903c4cdcbd

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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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SciELO Venezuela

Self URI (journal page): http://www.scielo.org.ve/scielo.php?script=sci_serial&pid=1690-4648&lng=en

Aspectos clínico-epidemiológicos de la toxocariasis: una enfermedad desatendida en Venezuela y América Latina Translated title: Clinical and epidemiological aspects of toxocariasis: A disease neglected in Venezuela and Latin America

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Abstract

Translated abstract

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SciELO Venezuela

Most cited references 295

Control of neglected tropical diseases.

Neglected Infections of Poverty in the United States of America

Human behaviour and the epidemiology of parasitic zoonoses.

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