Designing the Vertical Sieve Screening in Order for Recovery of Toxocara spp. Eggs From Soil Samples

BACKGROUND: Parasitic helminthic diseases are one of the most common diseases of humans and animals that threaten the health of human societies. Nowadays, different methods are used for recovery of eggs parasites from soil samples. Therefore, in order to reduce the amount of mistakes caused by the artifacts (waste and disposable materials for diagnostic purposes), it is necessary to design and use a special device to collect more accurately the eggs of helminthic parasites. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to design and use a rapid method for collecting different Toxocara spp. eggs in order to determine the prevalence of soil contamination. METHODS: In this study, for recovery of Toxocara parasite eggs from collected soil samples, a sieve screen was used with plastic body (polyvinyl chloride compressed plastics) in a cylindrical shape with a mesh of 150 µm (can be changed), as well as the cap and holder,for the use of modified sucrose flotation method to isolate and identify Toxocara species eggs. RESULTS: In the current study, single cell, multicellular, and infective Toxocara eggs were recovered from collected soil samples. The results of prevalence of Toxocara eggs in collected soil specimens showed that 38.5% (CI: 95%, 32.03-45.40%) were recovered using vertical sieve screening and using the traditional technique and flotation method 21.5% (CI: 95%, 16.37-27.70%) were recovered, which showed a significant difference between the two groups (P˂0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the conventional and standard sucrose flotation method, using the sieve screen in addition to recovery of Toxocara parasite, it can be used in epidemiological studies to investigate the presence of eggs of nematode parasites such as Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichocephalus, as well as other eggs of zoonotic helminths in soil samples, and the percentage of true egg parasites in the soil samples in epidemiological studies.