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Toxocara Species
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Usual Host
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T. canis
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dogs
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T. cati
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cats
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Risk factors for becoming infected with a Toxocara species:
(1) child (<= 10 years of age)
(2) presence of a litter of cats or dogs at home (may be acquired transplacentally from the mother animal)
(3) pica
(4) poverty
(5) playing in an urban outdoor park
(6) playing in an urban sandbox
(7) large numbers of feral dogs or cats
(8) institutionalized patient with mental retardation
(9) failure to treat infected cats and dogs
Protective measures reducing the risk of becoming infected:
(1) treatment of infected cats and dogs with ivermectin or mebendazole
(2) covering sandboxes to prevent defecation by animals, especially overnight
