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Human and Canine Seropositivity to Toxocara canis in Uralsk, Kazakhstan: Canine Egg Shedding and Evaluation of an Experimental ELISA
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DOI：10.3390/pathogens15080837.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Background: The aim of the present study was to develop and optimize an experimental ELISA test system for the detection of IgG antibodies to Toxocara canis and subsequently apply it for the assessment of human and canine exposure in Uralsk, Kazakhstan, within a One Health framework. Methods: A native somatic antigen of T. canis was fractionated by gel filtration, and the working fraction was selected by SDS-PAGE and pilot ELISA. The optimized test system was used for the analysis of sera of 1000 adult volunteers. Antibody avidity was determined in IgG-positive human specimens, and human seropositivity was evaluated for associations with demographic and questionnaire-derived variables. Serum samples from 100 stray dogs were tested by ELISA and fecal samples by copromicroscopy. Agreement with the commercial DRG ELISA was tested with 50 positive and 50 negative human serum samples. Results: The antigen fraction of 18–22 kDa showed the best separation between positive and negative sera. IgG antibodies against T. canis were detected in 116/1000 volunteers (11.6%). Seropositivity was 17.0% in the 2025 sample and 6.2% in the 2026 sample (odds ratio 3.10; 95% confidence interval 2.01–4.77; p < 0.001). No significant associations were found with sex, age, residence, or questionnaire-derived variables. Among seropositive volunteers, 28.4% had low-avidity, 26.7% intermediate-avidity, 29.3% intermediate/high-avidity and 15.5% high-avidity IgG. Overall, 78/100 of the stray dogs were copropositive, and 93/100 were seropositive. All copropositive dogs were seropositive, and 15 additional seropositive dogs were copronegative. Agreement with the DRG ELISA was 97.0% (Cohen’s κ = 0.94). Conclusions: The experimental ELISA allowed the assessment of T. canis exposure of humans and dogs. Seropositivity in humans in Uralsk showed exposure. High seropositivity in dogs and frequent egg shedding showed a substantial canine reservoir and a potential for environmental contamination. These results support integrated surveillance and control within a One Health context.
Keywords:
<i>Toxocara canis</i>
toxocariasis
One Health
IgG avidity
stray dogs
copromicroscopy
ELISA
Kazakhstan
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