Contamination of Toxocara spp. Eggs in Sandpits

Abstract

Contaminations of Toxocara spp. eggs in sandpits in Fujisawa city, Kanagawa Prefecture, were investigated five times from May 1993 to February 1994. The eggs were detected in 51.9% of 27 sandpits, and positive rate was much higher in the urban area than the rural area. The house dogs and cats living in these areas were examined for the fecal eggs by floatation method, revealing that the T. canis and T. cati were carried by 6.3% of 1, 042 dogs and 19.2% of 355 cats, respectively. There was no correlation between the contamination of sandpits and infection rate of Toxocara spp. in the house animals, suggesting that the major animals concerned might be stray cats.