TOXOCARIASIS *

• Etiology: Toxocara canis/ cati

• Clinical manifestations
– Ophthalmic lesions
– Hepatic and pulmonary lesions 
– Cerebral lesions
 Ophthalmic lesions

• Poor or absent/ Lose sight in one eye

• Strabismus /Squint

• Periorbital swelling
 Hepatic and pulmonary lesions

• Hepatomegaly

• Patchy of pneumonitis

• Asthma
 Cerebral lesions

• Encephalitis with convulsions

• Chronic epilepsy

• Cerebral calcification
 Diagnosis

• Serologic test
– ELISA

– Fluorescent antibody antibody test

 Differential diagnosis

• Retinoblastoma

• Hepatic capillariasis
 Treatment
• Chemotherapy: diethylcarbamazine (DEC), 3 mg/kg of
body weight 3 times daily for 21 days. Prelimenary doses
of 1 mg/kg, increased according to tolerance to 3 mg/kg

• Thiabendazole

• For ophthalmic toxocariasis, coincidental administration

of corticosteroids locally or systemically reduces
inflammation around larvae
 Prognosis

• The prognosis following treatment is good

• Residual scarring however, may continue

to cause symptoms