Toxocariasis: critical analysis of serology in patients attending a public referral center for ophthalmology in Brazil

• Published in: Japanese journal of ophthalmology 2018-01, Vol.62 (1), p.77-83
• Main Authors: Rubinsky-Elefant, Guita, Yamamoto, Joyce H., Hirata, Carlos E., Prestes-Carneiro, Luiz E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antibodies; Diagnosis; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Immunoglobulin G; Laboratory Investigation; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Ophthalmology; Patients; Serology; Signs and symptoms; Toxocara; Toxocariasis
• ISSN: 0021-5155; 1613-2246
• DOI: 10.1007/s10384-017-0543-8

Purpose To analyze the contribution of IgG anti- Toxocara antibodies in the diagnosis of ocular toxocariasis (OT) in serum samples of patients attending a public referral center for ophthalmology in Brazil and to determine the most frequent ocular signs and symptoms. Study design This was a retrospective descriptive study of a cohort of outpatients followed from December 1989 to May 2006. Methods IgG anti- Toxocara antibody titers were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results were correlated with the clinical and funduscopic findings. Results Of the diagnoses for the 126 patients, 42 were considered as probable OT, 48 as negative, and 36 as inconclusive. The median IgG anti- Toxocara antibody titers of the patients with probable OT were significantly higher than those of the patients in the negative or inconclusive groups ( P  = 0.0001). Higher titers were observed more frequently in patients in the probable OT group ( P  = 0.01) than in the negative group, in which titers were absent or lower in most patients ( P