Avaliação soroepidemiológica da infecção por T oxocara spp em crianças indígenas Seroepidemiology of T oxocara spp infection among brazilian indigenous

Introduction: The prevalence of parasitic diseases is high among Amerindian populations, which places the Brazilian indigenous population at a distinct disadvantage in relation to non-indians. The health condition of indigenous communities in Brazil is an issue of great concern, especially among children. Studies addressing the situation of this population are still scarce. Objectives: The objectives of this investigation are to analyze immunological and hematological parameters of IgG antibodies against Toxocara spp as a marker of infection and eosinophils as tissue invasion marker by parasitic infection. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted between August and October 2014. The study involved children of both sexes, under 12 years of age, living in the indigenous Guarani Mbya community of Sao Miguel das Missoes - RS. Results: Plasma samples were analyzed using ELISA test kit. We analyzed 55 samples with the following results: the percentage of seronegative and seropositive samples for IgG anti-Toxocara spp was 47.3% (26) and 52.7% (29), respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between both sexes. Among the 29 seropositive samples, 45.5% (14) came from women, and 54.5% (15) came from men. The eosinophil blood cell differential count showed that 68.9% (20/29) of the children had eosinophilia among HIV-positive children. When analyzing the eosinophil blood cell count of seronegative children for IgG anti-Toxocara canis, it was found that 65.4% (17/26) of the children had eosinophil concentrations within the normal range, but there was no statistically significant difference (P >