[Toxocariasis in Emek Israel]

Toxocariasis is a rare zoonotic disease in Israel. It usually affects children under the age of 10. Toxocara canis and Toxocara catis are common parasites among dogs and cats which affect man when he ingests the eggs of these helminths. We describe 3 children with different clinical presentations of the infestation. A 6-year-old boy had pain in the muscles of the limbs and diffuse patches in the right lower lobes on X-ray; a 7-year-old girl presented with a limp; and a 3-year-old boy had abdominal pain and a maculopapular rash covering the whole body. All 3 had eosinophilia. They illustrate the importance of toxocariasis in the differential diagnosis of eosinophilia.