Table 2.
Frequency of Strongyloides stercoralis larvae in stool samples of the 300 patients studied, according to coproparasitological and serological methods
| Techniques | Uncontrolled diabetes No. = 82 |
Malignant diseases No. = 79 |
Steroid therapy No. = 102 |
Other diseases No. = 37 |
P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | ||
| Direct smear examination | |||||
| Positive | 1 (33.3) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (66.7) | 0 (0.0) | 0.539 |
| Negative | 81 (27.3) | 79 (26.6) | 100 (33.7) | 37 (12.4) | |
| Formalin-ether concentration technique | |||||
| Positive | 1 (25.0) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (75.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0.311 |
| Negative | 81 (27.4) | 79 (26.7) | 99 (33.4) | 37 (12.5) | |
| Baermann funnel technique | |||||
| Positive | 1 (16.7) | 1 (16.7) | 4 (66.7) | 0 (0.0) | 0.369 |
| Negative | 81 (27.6) | 78 (26.5) | 98 (33.3) | 37 (12.6) | |
| Agar plate culture | |||||
| Positive | 1 (12.5) | 1 (12.5) | 6 (75.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0.096 |
| Negative | 81 (27.7) | 78 (26.7) | 96 (32.9) | 37 (12.7) | |
| Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay | |||||
| Positive | 11 (42.3) | 3 (11.5) | 9 (34.7) | 3 (11.5) | 0.287 |
| Equivocal | 1 (25.0) | 2 (50.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (25.0) | |
| Negative | 70 (25.9) | 74 (27.4) | 93 (34.5) | 33 (12.2) | |