Toxocaraova in soil in the Mosul District, Iraq, and their relevance to public health measures in the Middle East

Soil was collected from 42 sites in and immediately surrounding Mosul, Iraq, and from 13 sites in small villages approximately 15 miles (24 km) distant from Mosul; 5 g samples were examined for helminth ova using a zinc sulphate concentration technique with filtration through Milipore filters of all the ova contained in the supernatant.Toxocara ova were found in 25·5% of the samples. More than twice as many positive samples were obtained in the peripheral villages than in the city and its immediate surroundings. Areas in which children play figured prominently among the sites in which toxocaral ova were found.Examination of 219 sera from healthy persons in Iraq indicated that a significant amount of toxocaral transmission is taking place there.The results emphasize that, even in the climatic conditions of the Middle East, casual contact with soil in public places is a potential source of toxocaral infection. There is, therefore, a need in the Middle East, as in other regions, to pay strict attention to segregating children's play areas from those used by dogs.