Table 2. Exposures and associations of interviewed blastomycosis patients, by sex, Minnesota, USA, 1999–2018*.
| Exposures and associations | All cases, no. (%), n = 541 | Male patients, no. (%), n = 383 | Female patients, no. (%), n = 158 | OR (95% CI)† | p value† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor activity | 317 (59) | 245 (64) | 72 (46) | 2.1 (1.5–3.1), | p<0.001 |
| Hunting | 84 (15) | 80 (21) | 4 (2) | 10.5 (3.8–29.2) | p<0.001‡ |
| Fishing | 161 (30) | 134 (35) | 27 (17) | 2.7 (1.7–4.3) | p<0.001 |
| Boating | 99 (40) | 78 (44) | 21 (30) | 1.8 (1.0–3.2) | p = 0.049 |
| Swimming | 59 (27) | 47 (29) | 12 (21) | NS | |
| Camping | 87 (16) | 66 (17) | 21 (13) | NS | |
| Hiking |
152 (28) |
111 (29) |
41 (26) |
NS |
|
| Specific soil exposure | 375 (78) | 276 (80) | 99 (72) | 1.6 (1.0–2.5) | p = 0.050 |
| ATV use | 86 (19) | 74 (23) | 12 (10) | 2.8 (1.5–5.4) | p = 0.001 |
| Wood clearing/cutting at home | 193 (35) | 165 (43) | 28 (17) | 3.6 (2.3–5.7) | p<0.001 |
| Garden | 148 (34) | 101 (34) | 47 (36) | NS | |
| Nearby excavation |
172 (32) |
124 (33) |
48 (30) |
NS |
|
| Visiting a cabin | 177 (33) | 131 (35) | 46 (29) | NS | |
| Nearby beaver dams | 86 (16) | 67 (18) | 19 (12) | NS | |
| Working in woods§ | 97 (21) | 88 (26) | 9 (7) | 4.9 (2.4–10.1) | p<0.001 |
| Family member(s) had blastomycosis | 22 (4) | 11 (3) | 11 (7) | 0.39 (0.16–0.93) | p = 0.029 |
| Owning a dog | 283 (53) | 197 (52) | 86 (54) | NS | |
| Owning a dog that had blastomycosis | 29 (10) | 19 (9) | 10 (11) | NS |
*Denominators may not be same across categories because not all data were available for all patients. ATV, all-terrain vehicle; OR, odds ratio; NS, not significant. †ORs and p values calculated by using χ2 test, except where indicated. ‡p value calculated by using Fisher exact test. §Part-time or full-time employment in wooded areas (e.g., construction, landscaping, forestry).