Use of high temperature and lime for the treatment of sand contaminated by Toxocara canis eggs

• Grant number: 19/13568-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2019
• End date: November 30, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Vamilton Alvares Santarém
• Grantee: Isabele Santos Garcia
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias. Universidade do Oeste Paulista (UNOESTE). Campus de Presidente Prudente. Presidente Prudente , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Toxocariasis is an important global soil-transmitted helminthiasis, caused by migration of Toxocara spp. larvae. The disease is transmitted to humans mainly through accidental ingestion of infective eggs present in soil. Although several prophylactic measures are recommended to reduce environmental contamination by Toxocara spp. eggs, there is a scarcity of studies carried out to evaluate physico-chemical hygienization of sand. The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of sand hygienization by heating or lime treatment in samples artificially contaminated with Toxocara canis (n = 100) eggs. Sand samples will be submitted to two different temperature (70ºC or 80ºC) or two different concentrations of hydrated lime (30% and 50%). Following treatment (24 hours, 30 and 60 days), eggs will be retrieved from the soil using a centrifugal-sedimentation technique, after serial filtration using sieves of different meshes (300, 212, 106, and 38 ¼m). Eggs will be classified according to their morphological characteristics after treatment. The efficiency of hygienization will be evaluated taking into consideration the eggs retrieved in the tested samples and positive control group (contaminated with 100 eggs and without treatment; n = 2).