Environmental soil contamination by Toxocara species eggs in public places of Kalar city, Kurdistan, Iraq

The purpose of this study was to measure the levels of soil contamination with Toxocara spp. eggs in Kalar City, which is located in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This was done so that an infection risk assessment could be performed on the population that lives in this area. 195 soil samples in all were taken from a total of four different areas (public parks, playgrounds, parks of schools, and around a slaughter house). Soil flotation procedures employing the saturated salt flotation technique and the zinc sulfate flotation technique were used to study soil samples for the presence of Toxocara eggs. The results of these investigations were analyzed using a light microscope fitted with 10x and 40x objectives. Toxocara spp. eggs were identified in 38 out of 195 soil samples, which is a prevalence rate of 19.5%. In public parks, playgrounds, parks of schools, and the area near a slaughterhouse, the contamination rate was reported to be 17.6 and 17.8%, respectively. 5 and 38%, respectively. There was not a statistically significant difference (P = 0.293) in the rates of soil pollution in various sites, such as public parks, playgrounds, parks of schools, and areas near a slaughter house.