Seroprevalence of Toxocara Species Among Children with Asthma in a Teaching Hospital in Oyo State

Larval toxocariasis has been proposed as an underappreciated trigger of asthma and allergic airway disease in children, with recent literature documenting serological associations between Toxocara exposure and pulmonary hypersensitivity. This study assessed the seroprevalence of Toxocara species antibodies among asthmatic children attending the paediatric respiratory clinic of a teaching hospital in Ibadan, Oyo State, Southwest Nigeria. Serum samples from 180 children aged 3 to 15 years with confirmed physician-diagnosed asthma were tested using a commercial ELISA kit for anti-Toxocara IgE and IgG. A matched control group of 180 non-asthmatic children from the same facility was also tested. Toxocara seropositivity was found in 32.8 percent of asthmatic children compared to 18.3 percent in controls, a statistically significant difference. Atopic sensitisation, eosinophilia, and poorly controlled asthma episodes were significantly more common in Toxocara-seropositive asthmatic children. Pet ownership without regular deworming and geophagia were the leading exposure risk factors. The study recommends routine Toxocara serology in the diagnostic workup of poorly controlled childhood asthma and promotion of regular pet anthelmintic treatment in Oyo State. Keywords: Toxocara, seroprevalence, childhood asthma, atopy, Oyo State.