Toxocaríase em comunidades indígenas brasileiras: uma abordagem em saúde única

Abstract

Toxocariasis is a neglected zoonotic parasitic disease that can disproportionately affect socioeconomically vulnerable populations, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. Indigenous populations are susceptible to infection by Toxocara spp. due to inadequate infrastructure and limited access to health care and veterinary assistance. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the scenario of toxocariasis in Brazilian indigenous communities located in the states of São Paulo and Paraná (scientific paper 1) and in the Brazil-Paraguay-Argentina tri-border region (scientific paper 2) from a One Health perspective. Blood samples were collected from indigenous people to investigate the presence of anti-Toxocara spp. antibodies, along with the application of a socioepidemiological questionnaire to identify possible risk factors associated to seropositivity. Feces and dog hair samples, as well as soil samples, were also collected to assess the presence of Toxocara spp. eggs. The serological results indicated high prevalence in the indigenous population, showing seropositivity in 342/463 (73.9%; 95% CI: 70.0–77.7) individuals from the communities of Paraná and São Paulo, and in 246/258 (95.3%; 95% CI: 92.1–97.3) indigenous people from the tri-border region. Toxocara spp. eggs were found in 9/194 (4.6%) feces samples and in 4/204 (2.0%) hair samples from dogs in the communities of Paraná and São Paulo; while Toxocara spp. eggs were observed in 8/124 (6.5%) feces samples from dogs in the tri-border community. Soil contamination by T. canis eggs was confirmed by molecular characterization of eggs recovered from positive soil samples from communities in the state of Paraná (36/90; 40.0%) and the tri-border region (30/74; 40.5%). These findings highlight the intense exposure of indigenous populations to Toxocara spp., where transmission is sustained by a combination of infrastructure, socioeconomic, and cultural factors, emphasizing the importance of integrated interventions in indigenous territories to promote animal and human health and education using One Health approaches.