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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
immunology and microbiology
Are intestinal helminths risk factors for developing active tuberculosis?
Tropical Medicine and International Health, Volume 11, No. 4, Year 2006
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Description
OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of intestinal helminth infections in active tuberculosis patients and their healthy household contacts and to assess its association with active TB in an area endemic for both types of infections. METHODS: Smear-positive pulmonary TB patients and healthy household contacts were tested for intestinal helminths using direct microscopy and the formol-ether concentration techniques. Three consecutive stool samples were examined before the start of TB chemotherapy. Sputum microscopy was done using the sodium hypochlorite concentration techniques. Participants were also tested for HIV by commercial sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 230 smear-positive TB patients and 510 healthy household contacts. The prevalence of intestinal helminths was 71% in patients and 36% in controls. HIV seroprevalence was significantly higher in patients than in controls (46.7%vs. 11.6%, P < 0.001). Conditional logistic regression analysis showed a strong association between TB and intestinal helminth infection (OR = 4.2, 95% CI 2.7-5.9, P < 0.001), and between TB and HIV infection (OR = 7.8, 95% CI 4.8-12.6, P < 0.0001). The odds of being a TB patient increased with the number of helminth species per person: in individuals with mono-infection it was 4.3 (95% CI 2.8-6.8); in people infected with two species was 4.7 (95% CI 2.5-8.7), and in patients infected with three or more helminths was 12.2 (3.9-52.6). CONCLUSION: Intestinal helminth infection may be one of the risk factors for the development of active pulmonary TB in addition to HIV infection. This finding may have important implications in the control of TB in helminth endemic areas of the world. © 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Authors & Co-Authors
Elias, Daniel
Ethiopia, Gondar
University of Gondar
Ethiopia, Addis Ababa
Armauer Hansen Research Institute
Sweden, Solna
Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology
Mengistu, Getahun
Sweden, Stockholm
Karolinska Institutet
Ethiopia, Gondar
University of Gondar
Akuffo, Hannah Opokua
Sweden, Solna
Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology
Britton, Sven F.F.
Sweden, Stockholm
Karolinska Institutet
Statistics
Citations: 139
Authors: 4
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1111/j.1365-3156.2006.01578.x
ISSN:
13602276
e-ISSN:
13653156
Research Areas
Cancer
Health System And Policy
Infectious Diseases
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Approach
Quantitative