Estudio epidemiológico de Toxocara canis en parques recreacionales del distrito de San Juan de Lurigancho, Lima- Perú EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF Toxocara canis IN RECREATIONAL PARKS OF SAN JUAN DE LURIGANCHO DISTRICT, LIMA-PERU

En el presente trabajo se realizó un estudio epidemiológico de T. canis en zonas populosas de la ciudad de Lima - Perú. Se colectaron muestras de tierra en cinco puntos de cada uno de 17 parques recreacionales de ocho comunidades del distrito de San Juan de Lurigancho, de abril a junio de 1998 y enero de 1999. La técnica empleada para el estudio parasitológico fue el método de Willis, con modificaciones. Los resultados obtenidos se alan la presencia de huevos de T. canis en el 70,6% de los parques estudiados, encontrándose inclusive formas infectivas. No se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los parques medianamente secos y los húmedos con relación a la presencia del parásito. In this survey was carried out an epidemiological study of Toxocara canis in populous areas of the city of Lima - Peru. Soil samples were collected in five points of each one of 17 recreational parks belonged to eigth communities from San Juan of Lurigancho district, between April to June of 1998 and also January of 1999. The parks were clustered in humid and fairly dry according to their percentage of humidity presented. The technique employed for this parasitological research was the method of Willis, modified in the laboratory. The obtained results point out the presence of eggs of T. canis in 70,6% of the studied parks, including infective forms. There were not differences statistically significant between fairly dry and humid parks in relation to the presence of the parasite. The high frequency of contamination found in the analysed parks obligate the promotion of sanitary education in this community to avoid the risks of contamination with infective forms of T. canis in children and young those employ these parks.