Table 1.
Population characteristics and cytokine distribution by village
| Milalani (N = 191) | Vuga (N = 613) | |
|---|---|---|
| Demography | ||
| Mean age ± SD in years (range) | 12.4 ± 3.2 (5–19) | 11.0 ± 3.7 (2–18)* |
| Female sex, n (%) | 96 (50) | 313 (51) |
| Morbidity | ||
| Mean hemoglobin ± SD (range) | 11.8 ± 1.9 (4.6–16.4) | 11.8 ± 1.4 (6.1–15.9) |
| Anemia, n (%) | 90 (47) | 251 (41) |
| Stunting (HAZ < −2) | 61 (32%) | 263 (43%)* |
| Wasting (BAZ < −2) | 21 (11%) | 188 (31%)* |
| Parasitic infections | ||
| Schistosoma haematobium | ||
| Mean egg count | 127 (0–1,000) | 54 (0–1,000)* |
| Any intensity positive, n (%) | 130 (68) | 155 (25)* |
| Light (< 50 eggs/10 mL urine) | 62 (32%) | 80 (13%) |
| Heavy (> 50 eggs/10 mL urine) | 68 (36%) | 75 (12%) |
| Anti-SWAP IgG4‡ | ||
| Positive, n (%) | 147 (77) | 253 (41)* |
| Malaria (P. falciparum), n (%) | 33 (17) | 77 (13) |
| Filaria (W. bancrofti), n (%) | 21 (11) | 97 (16) |
| Hookworms, n (%) | 43 (22) | 64 (10)* |
| Cytokines | ||
| Median IL-6 pg/mL (range) | 204 (2–165,586) | 298 (4–9,033)† |
| Median IL-10 pg/mL (range) | 180 (1–2,473) | 353 (2–424,996)† |
| Median TNF-α pg/mL (range) | 102 (7–769) | 104 (2–7,916) |
SD = standard deviation; HAZ = age-adjusted height Z-score; BAZ, age-adjusted body-mass index Z-score; IL = interleukin; TNF = tumor necrosis factor.
*
P < 0.01, significant difference between villages: χ2 test for categorical variables, Student's t test for continuous variables.
†
P < 0.001 for significant difference between villages, nonparametric testing by Mann–Whitney U test.
‡
Antibody against Schistosoma adult Soluble Worm Antigen.