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Background Epidemiological evidence suggests that helminth infection and rural living are inversely associated with allergic disorders. Objective The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of helminth infections and urban versus rural residence on allergy in schoolchildren from Ghana. Methods In a cross-sectional study of 1385 children from urban-high socio-economic status (SES), urban-low SES and rural schools, associations between body mass index (BMI), allergen-specific IgE ( sIgE), parasitic infections and allergy outcomes were analysed. Allergy outcomes were skin prick test (SPT) reactivity, reported current wheeze and asthma. Results Helminth infections were found predominantly among rural subjects, and the most common were hookworm (9.9%) and Schistosoma spp (9.5%). Being overweight was highest among urban-high SES (14.6%) compared to urban-low SES (5.5%) and rural children (8.6%). The prevalence of SPT reactivity to any allergen was 18.3%, and this was highest among rural children (21.4%) followed by urban-high SES (20.2%) and urban-low SES (10.5%) children. Overall, SPT reactivity to mite (12%) was most common. Wheeze and asthma were reported by 7.9% and 8.3%, respectively. In multivariate analyses, factors associated with mite SPT were BMI ( aOR 2.43, 95% CI 1.28-4.60, P = 0.007), schistosome infection ( aOR 0.15, 95% CI 0.05-0.41) and mite sIgE ( aOR 7.40, 95% CI 5.62-9.73, P < 0.001) but not area. However, the association between mite IgE and SPT differed by area and was strongest among urban-high SES children ( aOR = 15.58, 95% CI 7.05-34.43, P < 0.001). Compared to rural, urban-low SES area was negatively associated with current wheeze ( aOR 0.41, 95% CI 0.20-0.83, P = 0.013). Both mite sIgE and mite SPT were significantly associated with current wheeze and asthma. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance Infection with schistosomes appeared to protect against mite SPT reactivity. This needs to be confirmed in future studies, preferably in a longitudinal design where schistosome infections are treated and allergic reactions reassessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atopic eczema is an increasing clinical problem in Africa. To determine allergic characteristics and to identify possible risk factors for eczema among schoolchildren in an urbanized area in Ghana. Schoolchildren aged 3-16 years with eczema were recruited. For each patient, one to three age- and sex-matched controls were selected. All children completed a questionnaire and were skin prick tested with a panel of allergens. Blood was drawn to determine the total and allergen-specific IgE. Conditional logistic regression models with the matching factors included in the model were used to calculate the odds ratios and to adjust for possible confounders. A total of 52 children with eczema (27 boys and 25 girls) and 99 controls were included. Levels of total IgE were found to be 9.1 (1.1; 78.4) times more often elevated in children with eczema. This association was mainly driven by elevated IgE levels against cockroach antigen. Children with eczema were found to have 2.0 (0.87; 4.7) times more often positive skin prick tests (SPT), but this association diminished to 1.2 (0.40; 3.6) after adjustment for total IgE levels. Frequent washing with soap was identified as a risk factor for the development of eczema among these children. Schoolchildren with eczema in Ghana were characterized by elevated IgE levels especially against cockroach antigen. The association between eczema and positive SPT was much weaker suggesting immune hyporesponsiveness of the skin. After adjustment for IgE level, SPT were less suitable to distinguish children with and without eczema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study was designed to investigate whether household cockroaches harbor cephalosporin-resistant enterobacteria that share resistance determinants with human inhabitants. From February through July 2016, whole cockroach homogenates and human fecal samples from 100 households were cultured for cephalosporin-resistant enterobacteria (CRe). The CRe were examined for plasmid-mediated AmpC, ESBL, and carbapenemase genes; antibiotic susceptibility patterns; and conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Clonal associations between CRe were determined by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST)., Results: Twenty CRe were recovered from whole cockroach homogenates from 15 households. The prevalence of households with cockroaches that harbored CRe, AmpC- (based on phenotype, with no identifiable blaAmpC genes), ESBL-, and carbapenemase-producers were 15, 4, 5%(2 bla CTX-M-15/TEM-1 ; 1 bla CTX-M-15/TEM-4 ; 1 bla TEM-24 ; 1 bla SHV-4 ) and 3%(2 bla NDM-1 genes and 1 bla OXA-48 gene), respectively. Overall, 20 CRe were recovered from 61 fecal samples of inhabitants from all 15 households that had cockroach samples positive for CRe. Of these, 5CRe (1 per household) were positive for ESBLs (bla TEM-24 , bla TEM-14 , bla CTX-M-15/TEM-4 , bla SHV-3 , bla CTX-M-15/TEM-1 ) and none carried AmpCs or carbapenemases. From 4% of households, the pair of cockroach and human CRe shared the same sequence type (ST), clonal complex (CC), antibiogram, and conjugable bla gene sequence (house 34, E. coli ST9/CC20-bla TEM-4 ; house 37, E. coli ST44/CC10-bla CTX-15/TEM-4 ; house 41, E. coli ST443/CC205-bla CTX-15/TEM-1 ; house 49, K. pneumoniae ST231/CC131-bla SHV-13 )., Conclusion: The findings provide evidence that household cockroaches may carry CTX-M-15-, OXA-48- and NDM-1-producers, and share clonal relationship and beta-lactam resistance determinants with humans.