Toxocara titres in maternal and cord blood

Fifty-two pairs of maternal and cord blood samples were examined for evidence of Toxocara canis antibodies. All the mothers in the study delivered normal babies at term. Seventeen (33%) of the mothers had Toxocara antibody titres of 1:50 or greater. No IgM isotype anti-Toxocara antibody was detected in the cord blood samples, evidence that transplacental toxocaral infection had not occurred. In the toxocara antibody-positive group it was found that six of 17 mothers (35%) had previously miscarried compared with three of 35 (8.6%) of the toxocara-negative mothers (P = 0.044).