TABLE 1.
Effect of helminth infection on spontaneous cytokine production in whole-blood cultures
| Type of infection | No. of individuals (% with spontaneous cytokine production in whole-blood cultures)a |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IFN-γ | IL-5 | IL-10 | IL-13 | |
| Overall | 774 (11.0) | 955 (6.1) | 1,045 (8.2) | 990 (34.3) |
| Current Ascaris infection | ||||
| Negative | 643 (10.7) | 806 (6.2) | 876 (6.7) | 829 (35.3) |
| Positive | 131 (12.2) | 149 (5.4) | 169 (16.0)* | 161 (29.2) |
| Chronic Ascaris infection | ||||
| Never | 539 (10.9) | 675 (6.8) | 728 (6.3) | 687 (35.5) |
| Past | 104 (9.6) | 131 (3.1) | 148 (8.8) | 142 (34.5) |
| Present | 74 (12.2) | 87 (4.6) | 96 (10.4) | 91 (23.1) |
| Both | 57 (12.3) | 62 (6.5) | 73 (23.3)+ | 70 (37.1) |
| Current Trichuris infection | ||||
| Negative | 665 (10.5) | 824 (5.9) | 899 (7.1) | 853 (32.7) |
| Positive | 109 (13.8) | 131 (6.9) | 146 (15.1)* | 137 (44.5)* |
| Chronic Trichuris infection | ||||
| Never | 539 (10.6) | 734 (6.3) | 809 (7.2) | 763 (32.9) |
| Past | 104 (10.1) | 90 (3.3) | 90 (6.7) | 90 (31.1) |
| Present | 74 (11.3) | 73 (5.5) | 79 (8.9) | 72 (54.2) |
| Both | 57 (16.1) | 58 (8.6) | 67 (22.4)+ | 65 (33.8) |
| Coinfection with Ascaris and Trichuris | ||||
| Negative for both | 593 (10.8) | 741 (6.3) | 804 (6.6) | 762 (34.0) |
| Positive for only one | 122 (9.0) | 148 (3.4) | 167 (10.2) | 158 (34.2) |
| Positive for both | 59 (16.9) | 66 (9.1) | 74 (21.6)+ | 70 (38.6) |
a
Differences between groups were assessed using the chi-square test or trend test, as appropriate. Numbers in bold show statistically significant results. *, P ≤ 0.05 (χ2); +, P ≤ 0.05 (χ2 trend test).