Factores predictivos de infección para estrongiloidosis

Abstract

Strongyloidiasis is endemic in tropical and subtropical countries, less frequent in developed countries where sporadic cases are reported from endemic countries. This study pursued investigate the risk factors that allowed predicting Strongyloides stercoralis infection in urban patients in an endemic country for strongyloidiasis, as well as to determine the occurrence of parasitic coinfections for the disease. This is a prospective study of 2815 patients from the soil transmitted helminthes section of the Tropical Medicine Institute, Universidad Central de Venezuela, from January 2006 until July 2009. Stool examination was performed by different methods: direct (Lugol-saline), formaldehyde triton ether (FTE) and Baermann, identifying 44 positive patients for Strongyloides stercoralis (occurrence of 1.56 %) and 37 negative controls. Most participants (92 %) were from urban areas of the north-coastal states of Venezuela. FTE identified 100 % of cases positive for Strongyloides stercoralis, direct 70 % (31/44) and Baermann only 45.% (20/44). There were differences when comparing infected group with control group in terms of presence of diarrhea (P = 0.001), abdominal pain (P = 0.022), eosinophilia (P <0.0001) and Charcot-Leyden crystals (P= 0.023). The analysis of risk factors for strongyloidiasis showed that contact with soil (OR = 4.7, P = 0.027), abdominal pain (OR = 3.6, P = 0.017), diarrhea (OR = 6.4; P = 0.001), eosinophilia (OR = 22.5, P = 0.000) and presence of Charcot-Leyden crystals (OR = 3.6, P = 0.017), are important as indicators of Strongyloides stercoralis infection.