The relationship of public park accessibility to dogs to the presence of Toxocara species ova in the soil.

Abstract

This survey was conducted to determine prevalence of Toxocara spp. ova in public parks in Erzurum, Turkey. A total of 214 soil samples were collected from July 2007 to June 2008 in 36 public parks, of which 28 were unfenced and 8 were fenced. Prevalence of Toxocara spp. was 64.28% in unfenced public parks, while no contamination was observed fenced public parks (p<0.001). Average number of Toxocara spp. ova was 1.43 per 50 g sand ranging from 1 to 7. Moreover, soils from unfenced public parks were contaminated with Taeniid spp. ova (3.12%). In conclusion, public parks and/or playgrounds should be fenced to prevent fecal contamination, suggesting that a more frequent surveillance should be performed and preventive measures should be taken and enforced by local governments to reduce likelihood of zoonoses in children.