Introduction:: The impact of gestational toxocariasis is an understudied topic on female reproductive health. We estimated anti-Toxocara IgG prevalence among pregnant women in Brasília, Brazil, and investigated the association of the infection with history of abortion and contact with pets.
Methods:: Infection was diagnosed using ELISA with excretory/secretory antigens. Participant information was obtained via questionnaires.
Results:: Of 311 pregnant women, 23 were anti-Toxocara IgG positive. Twenty-two percent of anti-Toxocara IgG-positive participants and 26% had previously miscarried. Previous contact with pets was associated with higher toxocariasis prevalence.
Conclusions:: A direct relationship between toxocariasis and contact with pets was observed, but there was no relationship with the miscarriage prevalence.