Frequency of toxocara canis eggs in public parks of mexicali, baja California, Mexico

Abstract

A study was carried out in 56 public parks of the city of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico to know the level of soil contamination by Toxocara canis eggs. The selection of parks was random and the duration of the sampling to estimate the variability of pollution with respect to the seasons was one year. The soil samples were analyzed using the flotation technique with saturated saline solution. It was found that the frequency of contaminated parks was 54 %, and specific contamination per parasite was found to be more frequent by Toxocara canis with 46.4 %, which was 16.1 % lower compared to a study carried out in 2007. Likewise, other parasite´s eggs like Ancylostoma caninum (5.3 %) were found, and one park was parasitized with Spirocerca spp. and Strongylus spp. (1.78 %). The contamination rate for T. canis eggs was 1.6 eggs per 66 g of soil, i.e., a low level of contamination compared to other studies in the country and in the world, even though it still represents a risk for public health.