Survey of the prevalence of Toxocara cati in stray cats in Isfahan city, Iran by PCR method.

Toxocariasis is a parasitic zoonosis with worldwide distribution that affects both cats and dogs. This parasite is one of the factors contributing to visceral larva migrans and ocular larva migrans in humans. Therefore, it is crucial to gain a good understanding of how cats are infected by T. cati, so as to prevent citizens from infection. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of T. cati in Isfahan. In 2014-2015, a total of 147 feacal samples were collected from urban stray cats. The felid feaces were analyzed through PCR test and 26 cats (17.7%) were diagnosed with T. cati gene. Sixteen cats (10.88%) were female and 10 cats (6.8%) were male. In terms of age group, 9 cats (6.12%) were adult while 17 cats (11.56%) were immature. Unlike previous studies there was no significant relationship between age/sex and prevalence of the parasite. Since there is a close link between humans and cats with greater risk of transmitting common diseases particularly in children, it is critical to raise public awareness about the disease and advise adults to be more health-conscious outdoors.