COMPARABLE SEROPOSITIVITY FOR ASCARIASIS AND TOXOCARIASIS IN TROPICALSLUM CHILDREN

The seropositivities for infection by Ascaris lumbricoides and Toxocar a canis were determined in children (1-15 years old) of a slum area of Caracas, Venezuela, and the levels that indicate the presence of acti ve infection were defined. In children aged from 1 to 3 years, approxi mately 10% were positive for either parasite, and this figure increase d to about 30% in 4- to 6-year-olds. For toxocariasis, the percentage of positivity remained at this level up to the age of 15 years. Whilst the positivity in children 10-15 years of age was comparable for Asca ris and Toxocara, a peak of positivity (50%) was found for Ascaris at 7-9 years of age. These results indicate that for these urban slum chi ldren, infection by Toxocara is essentially as common as that by Ascar is and, thus, that toxocariasis represents a potential public health p roblem in the tropical environment that is largely overlooked.