Toxocariasis: serodiagnosis and assessment of its role in obscure recurrent abdominal pain

ABSTRACT

One hundred and twenty-six patients with recurrent abdominal pain and other associated symptoms and signs were classified into two groups. The first comprised thirty-eight patients who were subjected to emergency surgery for exploration and/or appendicectomy and contributed to liver biopsy specimen examination for Toxocara eosinophilic granuloma [twenty-two were proved positive]. The second group comprised ninety-eight patients without available biopsy specimens. Toxocara IgG antibodies were sought in sera of both groups by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] using excretory - secretory larval Toxocara antigen [ES antigen]. Similar frequencies of age and symptoms and signs [cough, wheeze, hepatomegaly and eosinophilia] among Toxocara seropositive patients, both in histopathologically proved group [22] and biopsy lacking group [98] led us to consider anti-Toxocara IgG ELISA-ES a useful tool in elucidating toxocariasis as a causative agent of significant proportion of children complaining of recurrent abdominal pain with obscure aetiology