[Quantitative comparison of different methods for the detection of Toxocara canis eggs in sand samples]

Eleven techniques for recovering helminth eggs from sand and soil samples were tested for efficiency and suitability for routine use. The tests were done under standardized conditions on sand samples of 100 g contaminated experimentally with 10, 100 or 1,000 eggs of Toxocara canis. Best results were achieved by a flotation-sedimentation technique (Stoye and Horn, 1986) and by a sieving method (Köhler et al., 1980), showing mean recovery rates of 43.1% and 41.4%, respectively. All other methods tested, mean recovery rates were about 20% or less.