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Toxocara Awareness Among Medical Practitioners in Saudi Arabia

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Abstract

Human toxocariasis is a zoonotic infection with global and regional impacts. Worldwide it is underestimated and clinically overlooked. Medical practitioners are generally unaware of the extent of the resulting disease spectrum. The objective of the study was to assess knowledge and disease awareness among medical practitioners in Aseer, south-western Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire addressing knowledge about the parasite, its visceral larva migrans and the disease spectrum generated was used to interview participants. The study included 285 participants. In answer to the question what is toxocara, only 27%, answered correctly that it is a nematode, paediatricians being the majority. With regard to years of experience among participants, 56.8% of those who answered correctly had less than 5-year experience, as opposed to 35.4% for those with more than 10-year experience. The cumulative awareness about the disease manifestations and spectrum, i.e. those who knew, was less than 30% across specialties and years of experiences. Lack of awareness regarding Toxocara infection and the disease spectrum it can generate is evident. The consequence for such lack of knowledge within our practising medical community is simply unacceptable as it might translate into misdiagnosis and consequently misguided treatment.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the medical institutions and practitioners who participated in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Clinical Parasitology, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Fakhreldin M. Omer & Riyad A. Moosa

  2. Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Nabil J. Awadalla, Safar Abadi Alsaleem, Mohammed Abadi Alsaleem & Ahmed A. Mahfouz

  3. Department of Community Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

    Nabil J. Awadalla

  4. Medical Student, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Mohamed A. Alqahtani, Abdulmageed A. Asiri, Ebtesam M. Alahmari & Amal N. Alqahtani

  5. Department of Epidemiology, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt

    Ahmed A. Mahfouz

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  1. Fakhreldin M. Omer
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  2. Nabil J. Awadalla
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Correspondence to Ahmed A. Mahfouz.

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Omer, F.M., Awadalla, N.J., Alsaleem, S.A. et al. Toxocara Awareness Among Medical Practitioners in Saudi Arabia. EcoHealth 18, 107–112 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-021-01529-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-021-01529-9

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