Determination of the prevalence of zoonotic helminths in parks with sandboxes in Aydin region

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to determine the prevalence of Echinococcus spp. and Toxocara spp. in child playgrounds' in Aydın Region by modified floatation and PCR method. Materials and Methods: The study covers seven districts of Aydın. A total of 250 samples, five from each park, were collected from a total of 50 parks in Efeler (n=9), Nazilli (n=8), Söke (n=8), Çine (n=7), Bozdoğan (n=6), Germencik (n=6) and Kuşadası (n=6). Additionally, a total of 81 stool samples collected from different parks were included in the study. Results: In the microscopic examinations, 17 (6.8%) of 250 samples collected were positive in terms of at least one parasite species, and 233 (93.2%) were negative. Of 17 positive samples, 8 (3.2%) Toxocara spp. and 9 (3.6%) Strongylid type eggs were detected. 33% of the parks in Efeler (11% Strongylid type egg, 22% Toxocara spp.), 67% in Bozdoğan (33% Toxocara spp., 33% Strongyl type egg), 33% in Kuşadası (100% Toxocara spp.) were found to be positive. No Taeniid eggs were detected in microscopic examinations. PCR analysis of 250 samples showed that 16 (6.4%) and 46 (18.4%) were positive for E. granulosus and T. cati, respectively. PCR analysis also revealed that 30 (60%) out of 50 parks were positive for at least one parasite species, 21 (42%) for T. cati, 7 (14%) for E. granulosus and 2 (4%) parks for both species. Of 81 stools collected, 11 (13.6%) were positive for Toxocara spp. (8.6%), Taenia spp. (2.6%), Strongylid (1.2%) and Ascaris lumbricoides (1.2%). Conclusion: According to these results, parks with sandboxes have great risks for children. The results obtained from the analyzes indicated that microscopic examination or PCR alone is not sufficient for the examination of sand/soil samples, and both methods should be used together. Keywords: Child playground, Echinococcus, PCR, Sand/soil, Toxocara.