Toxocara Infection in Psychiatric Inpatients: A Case Control Seroprevalence Study

BACKGROUND: There is poor knowledge about the epidemiology of toxocariasis in psychiatric patients. AIMS: Determine the seroepidemiology of Toxocara infection in psychiatric patients. METHODS: Through a case-control seroprevalence study, 128 psychiatric inpatients and 276 control subjects were compared for the presence of anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies in Durango, Mexico. Socio-demographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics of inpatients associated with toxocariasis were also investigated. RESULTS: Six of the 128 (4.7%) psychiatric inpatients, and 3 (1.1%) of the 276 controls were positive for anti-Toxocara IgG antibodies (P = 0.03). Stratification by age showed that Toxocara seroprevalence was significantly (P = 0.02) higher in patients aged ≤50 years old (6/90∶6.7%) than controls of the same age (2/163∶1.2%). While Toxocara seroprevalence was similar in patients and controls aged >50 years old. Stratification by gender showed that Toxocara seroprevalence was significantly (P = 0.03) higher in female patients (2/37∶5.4%) than in female controls (0/166∶0%). No statistically significant associations between Toxocara seropositivity and clinical characteristics were found. In contrast, Toxocara seropositivity was associated with consumption of goat meat and raw sea snail. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of toxocariasis in psychiatric inpatients in Mexico. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to elucidate the association of toxocariasis with psychiatric diseases. The role of the consumption of goat meat and raw sea snail in the transmission of Toxocara deserve further investigation.