In the New York study, published in 2020, the scientists took samples from 91 parks and playgrounds in the five boroughs. “Pet owners should be aware that their dogs can get infected by something they eat off the ground.” “People, especially those with children who tend to play in the sand or soil, should be aware of Toxocara,” said Donna Tyungu, lead author of the New York paper and a pediatric infectious disease specialist who researches parasites at the University of Oklahoma. In the US each year, at least 70 people, mostly children go blind as a result of toxocariasis, the disease caused by Toxocara, but the researchers say that is probably an underestimate, as a general pediatrician might not easily recognize the illness. In very rare cases, the parasite can reach the eye, causing blindness, and cause neurological damage in the brain. Even so, the scientists say, most infections are asymptomatic, though sometimes symptoms may include fever, fatigue, coughing, rash, or abdominal pain. But this means children are at a higher risk. It’s not that easy for humans to become infected – they must literally consume infected dirt. The presence of Toxocara is not necessarily a cause for alarm, the researchers say. Around the world other researchers are also finding Toxocara in parks. In New York City, one of the locations of the studies performed in recent years, these parasites are present in parks in all five boroughs, and there are more of them in parks in more impoverished neighborhoods.
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