Prevalence of Toxocara Spp. eggs in Public Parks in Tehran City, Iran

Background: The objective of the present research was to determine the frequency of Toxocara spp. eggs in soil samples of public parks, in the city of Tehran, Iran. Methods: A total of 600 soil samples were taken from 120 parks between Aprils to November, 2008. Soil samples were collected from 5 distinct sites in the parks. The samples were washed with saline solution and the collected sediment from each park were equally divided and examined by floatation and Petri dish methods for Toxocara eggs. Result: Ten percent were contaminated with Toxocara spp. eggs. The number of observed Toxocara eggs in each microscopic field was varied from 1-3. No significant differences were observed be-tween floatation and Petri dish methods. Conclusion: Our public parks showed a high risk of toxocariasis and the need for preventive studies.