Presence of zoonotichelminths in cats (Feliscatus) of condominiums in City of Mexico with special concern to Toxocara cati infection

The toxocariasis is a soil-transmitted helminthiasis (SHT) of worldwide distribution, caused by the intestinal helminths of the dog and the cat Toxocaracanis and Toxocaracati, respectively. The toxocariasis by T. cati is little studied worldwide. Objective: Determine the prevalence of T. cati infection and other intestinal zoonotic parasites in domestic cats that live in condominium apartments in Mexico City. Material and Methods: With Faust's method, 121 feces of cats living in apartments in a condominium in Mexico City were analyzed. A questionnaire was applied to the owners to obtain hygienic habits of the animal. The statistical analysis was performed with the Chisquare and Fisher's exact tests with a confidence level of p <0.05. Results: The prevalence of T. cati infection was 33.1%. Embryonated eggs were observed in 8.26% p < 0.000; oocysts of Toxoplasma gondiiin 6.6% and eggs and larvae of ancylostomatidsin 1.6%. The association of Ancylostoma spp. and T. gondii sp. was significant (p < 0.004). The highest frequency of infection was found in cats under 12 months of age. However, the presence of T. cati in the different age groups was p < 0.000. Conclusion: The coexistence with parasitized animals is a risk to acquire different intestinal zoonoses transmitted by the cat as toxocariasis. However, the presence within the home of larvae eggs of T. cati and oocysts of T. gondii increases the risk of infection in younger children and people suffering from some type of immune deficiency