TABLE II.
Characteristics of subjects in Ecuador (n = 599) in relation to α-Gal sensitization
| Characteristic | α-Gal sIgE positive (n = 194) | α-Gal IgE negative (n = 405) | OR (95% CI) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic and clinical characteristic | ||||
| Age (y), mean (range)* | 11.3 (7–19) | 11 (6–19) | NA | .18 |
| Sex: male† | 136 (70.1) | 201 (49.6) | 2.4 (1.6–3.4) | <.001 |
| Rural† | 142 (73.2) | 234 (57.8) | 2.0 (1.4–2.9) | <.001 |
| Monthly income >$250† | 33 (17.0) | 80 (19.8) | 0.8 (0.5–1.3) | .42 |
| Current wheeze† | 57 of 192 (29.7) | 113 of 404 (28.1) | 1.1 (0.7–1.6) | .69 |
| Diet and exposures | ||||
| Never consume beef† | 2 of 192 (1.0) | 1 of 402 (0.3) | 4.2 (0.5–61) | .20 |
| Consume beef ≥1X per week† | 161 of 192 (83.9) | 363 of 402 (90.3) | 0.6 (0.3–0.9) | .02 |
| Never consume milk† | 4 (2.1) | 4 (1.0) | 2.1 (0.6–7.3) | .28 |
| Consume milk ≥1X per week† | 156 (80.4) | 347 (85.7) | 0.7 (0.4–1.1) | .1 |
| Consume unpasteurized milk† | 75 (38.7) | 153 (37.8) | 1.0 (0.7–1.5) | .84 |
| Cat in house† | 72 of 193 (37.3) | 155 (38.3) | 1.0 (0.7–1.4) | .82 |
| Dog in house† | 147 of 193 (76.2) | 324 (80) | 0.8 (0.5–1.2) | .28 |
| Farm animal contact† | 56 of 193 (29.0) | 68 (16.8) | 2.0 (1.3–3.0) | <.001 |
| Ascaris in stool† | 96 (49.5) | 178 (44.0) | 1.2 (0.9–1.8) | .2 |
| Trichuris in stool† | 113 (58.2) | 224 (55.3) | 1.1 (0.8–1.6) | .5 |
| Hookworm in stool† | 20 (10.3) | 17 (4.2) | 2.6 (1.4–5.2) | .004 |
| Any worm in stool† | 140 (72.2) | 264 (65.2) | 1.4 (1.0–2.0) | .09 |
| Immune marker | ||||
| Total IgE, GM (95% CI)‡ | 1141 (975–1335) | 288 (255–326) | NA | <.001 |
| Total IgE >500 IU/mL† | 152 (78.4) | 141 (34.8) | 6.8 (4.6–10.1) | <.001 |
| Ascaris IgE ≥0.7 IU/mL† | 162 (83.5) | 165 (40.7) | 7.4 (4.8–11.2) | <.001 |
| Positive skin test result (any allergen)† | 54 (27.8) | 71 (17.5%) | 1.8 (1.2–2.7) | .004 |
GM, Geometric mean; NA, not applicable/available; OR, odds ratio.
*
Compared with Student t test.
†
Compared with χ2 test.
‡
Compared with Mann-Whitney U test.