Toxocariasis is a preventable parasitic disease that is caused by the dog and 
cat roundworms Toxocara cani and T. cati, respectively. Humans become infected 
when they accidently ingest infectious Toxocara eggs commonly found in 
contaminated soil; children are most often affected. Clinical manifestations of 
Toxocara infection in humans include ocular toxocariasis and visceral 
toxocariasis. Although infection with Toxocara can cause devastating disease, 
the burden of toxocariasis in the United States population remains unknown. In 
addition, risk factors for acquiring infection need to be better defined, and 
research needs to be conducted to better understand the pathophysiology and 
clinical course of toxocariasis. Development of diagnostic tests would enable 
clinicians to detect active infection, and determination of optimal drug 
regiments would ensure patients were appropriately treated. Addressing these 
public health gaps is necessary to understand and address the impact of 
toxocariasis in the United States.