TY - JOUR A2 - Chieffi, Pedro P. AU - Phasuk, Nonthapan AU - Kache, Ratee AU - Thongtup, Kanjana AU - Boonmuang, Saowalee AU - Punsawad, Chuchard PY - 2020 DA - 2020/09/08 TI - Soil Contamination withToxocaraEggs in Public Schools in Rural Areas of Southern Thailand SP - 9659640 VL - 2020 AB - Soil is considered the primary source of Toxocaratransmission to humans, especially children. The status of soil contamination with Toxocaraeggs in southern Thailand is unknown. This study aimed at estimating the soil contamination with Toxocaraeggs in public schools in Nakhon Si Thammarat province in southern Thailand. Soil samples were collected from 12 public schools between August and September 2017. At each site, ten soil samples were collected from the following five types of locations: (1) playgrounds, (2) football fields, (3) sidewalks, (4) schoolyards, and (5) areas around cafeterias. In total, 120 samples were examined for Toxocaraeggs with a modified flotation method using a sucrose solution. Toxocaraeggs were detected in 8 (66.7%) of the 12 studied public schools. Of the 120 soil samples, 22 (18.3%; 95% CI: 11.9, 26.4) were contaminated with Toxocaraeggs. The highest levels of Toxocaraegg contamination were observed in playgrounds (41.7%; 95% CI: 22.1, 63.4), followed by football fields (20.8%; 95% CI: 7.1, 42.2), sidewalks (12.5%; 95% CI: 2.7, 32.4), and schoolyards (12.5%; 95% CI: 2.7, 32.4). There were significant differences in the distribution of Toxocaraeggs across location types p < 0.05 . The findings demonstrated that the soil samples from public schools were contaminated with Toxocaraeggs. Playgrounds were the most heavily contaminated locations. Teaching children proper handwashing steps and discouraging geophagia should be implemented to reduce the distribution of Toxocaraand limit future Toxocarainfections. SN - 1687-9686 UR - https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/9659640 DO - 10.1155/2020/9659640 JF - Journal of Tropical Medicine PB - Hindawi KW - ER -