Toxocara dog roundworm IgG toxocariasis

Toxocara Canis IgG from Serum (laboratory method EIA ELISA is Enzyme Immuno Assay)

The canine roundworm (Toxocara canis) is a rather long parasitic roundworm found in the intestines of a number of canine species. It is one of the most common roundworms. Humans can also become infected with these worms and develop the disease toxocariasis. However, in the human body, the worms cannot reproduce.

Adult dog roundworms are roller round and 2 to 3 mm thick and thread-like and 80 to 180 mm long. The eggs have a thick wall and are very small, 0.075 mm. An embryo develops in these eggs after 10 to 15 days, only then can the eggs cause infections.

life cycle of roundworms from the genus Toxocara:

Eggs with an embryo - if swallowed - hatch in the small intestine. These larvae bore through the intestinal wall and enter the liver and lungs through the circulatory system.
In the lungs, the larvae go through the next stage and enter the trachea. Then they are swallowed again and re-enter the intestines where they develop into an adult roundworm.
This form of infection is most common in puppies no more than four months old. The infective larvae can also be excreted directly and ingested through the environment.
Another route of infection is through hosts. The infective eggs can be ingested by rodents, but also by humans. Many sandboxes in cities are infested with eggs of the dogworm. As a result, many playing children become infected with these larvae. In the intermediate host, the larvae spread throughout the body. Although they cannot multiply in the body of an intermediate host, they can cause symptoms of disease (toxocariasis).

When to do this test? If infection is suspected in risk contact (contact with animals) or symptoms such as:

• Eosinophilia; an increased number of eosinophilic granulocytes in the blood (see comprehensive blood count)
• Hepatomegaly; enlargement of the liver due to other disease
• Asthma
• Unilateral eye infection
• Abdominal pain
• Inflammation of the choroid and retina in the eye

Detection of antibodies to Toxocara canis (primarily high titer, seroconversion, significant increase in titer) may indicate active infection.

More in-depth Blot tests are also available upon request to Toxocare.