Prevalence and Viability of spp. Eggs in Soil of Public Parks in Northwestern Mexico.

Background: spp. is a zoonotic parasite that can infect human; children are the largest group at risk of infection. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence and viability of spp. eggs in the soil of public parks.

Methods: Overall, 1180 soil samples from 236 public parks in four sectors of the city of Culiacan were collected at random, between Jun and Dec, 2013. The presence of spp. eggs was determined by light microscopy using a centrifugation-flotation technique and viability by trypan blue staining technique.

Results: Of the 236 parks sampled, 18 were positive to spp. resulting in a prevalence of 7.6% and viability of 94.4% with a <0.05. Detection of spp.in soil samples was 16.5% and viability 94.7% with a <0.05. Parks positive to spp., had sports fields and playgrounds (94.4%), trees and green areas (88.8%).

Conclusion: Although a low prevalence of spp. eggs in the soil of public parks was found, they exhibited high viability, suggesting that the soil from these public parks is a source of infection for pets and humans especially children.