Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Jan;149(1):1-9.
doi: 10.1017/S0031182021001591. Epub 2021 Oct 25.

Brain food: rethinking food-borne toxocariasis

Sara R Healy  1 , Eric R Morgan  2 , Joaquin M Prada  1 , Martha Betson  1
Affiliations
Review

Brain food: rethinking food-borne toxocariasis

Sara R Healy et al. Parasitology. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Human toxocariasis is a neglected tropical disease, which is actually global in distribution and has a significant impact on global public health. The infection can lead to several serious conditions in humans, including allergic, ophthalmic and neurological disorders such as epilepsy. It is caused by the common roundworm species Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati, with humans becoming accidentally infected via the ingestion of eggs or larvae. Toxocara eggs are deposited on the ground when infected dogs, cats and foxes defecate, with the eggs contaminating crops, grazing pastures, and subsequently food animals. However, transmission of Toxocara to humans via food consumption has received relatively little attention in the literature. To establish the risks that contaminated food poses to the public, a renewed research focus is required. This review discusses what is currently known about food-borne Toxocara transmission, highlighting the gaps in our understanding that require further attention, and outlining some potential preventative strategies which could be employed to safeguard consumer health.

Keywords: Food safety; human toxocariasis; neglected tropical disease; public health; zoonotic helminth.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
The potential flow of Toxocara spp. from the farm to the consumer, and a summary of the possible control measures at each step of the production chain.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abe K, Shimokawa H, Kubota T, Nawa Y and Takeshita A (2002) Myocarditis associated with visceral larva migrans due to Toxocara canis. Internal Medicine 41, 706–708. - PubMed
    1. Abo-Shehada MN, Al-Zubaidy BA and Herbert IV (1984) The migration of larval Toxocara canis in mice I. migration through the intestine in primary infections. Veterinary Parasitology 17, 65–73. - PubMed
    1. Abougrain AK, Nahaisi MH, Madi NS, Saied MM and Ghenghesh KS (2010) Parasitological contamination in salad vegetables in Tripoli-Libya. Food Control 21, 760–762.
    1. Aldawek AM, Levkut M, Revajová V, Kolodzieyski L, Ševěiková Z and Dubinský P (2002) Larval toxocarosis in sheep: the immunohistochemical characterization of lesions in some affected organs. Veterinary Parasitology 105, 207–214. - PubMed
    1. Aragane K, Akao N, Matsuyama T, Sugita M, Natsuaki M and Kitada O (1999) Fever, cough, and nodules on ankles. The Lancet 354, 1872. - PubMed

Publication types