Geohelmintiasis and hyper-IgE in schoolchildren of a rural area and an urban area of Honduras between September 2014 to June 2015

Abstract

Introduction: Helminths transmitted by the soil (geohelminths) are the intestinal parasites that provoke the polarization of the immune system towards a response characterized by the high circulating values of Immunoglobulin E (IgE). In Honduras, there are no recent studies demonstrating this biological phenomenon.

Objectives: This study aims to determine the association between geohelminth infections with hyper- IgE, comparing schoolchildren from a rural area and an urban area of Honduras.

Methodology: Descriptive transversal study. Two communities were selected, with a high prevalence of geohelminths (> 50%) and an urban with low prevalence of geohelminths (<20%). Interviews were conducted with the participants to determine their age, grade and history of deworming. To determine the prevalence of parasites, faecal samples were collected and processed with the Kato-Katz Method and Ethyl Acetate. To determine serum IgE levels, blood samples were taken, and the serum was processed using MagPIX® technology (human Bio-Plex Pro_IgE kit). According to this method the limit of detection for IgE is 0.040 ng / ml. Ethical approval CEI/MEIZ. Parametric and non-parametric statistical analysis.

Results: 73 children from the rural area and 71 from the urban area were studied, of which 35 (47.9%) and 5 (7%) were parasitized with one or more species of geohelminths (Trichuris trichiura, Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm) respectively. Eight participants (<6%) had moderate to severe infections. The rural population presented 94.5% (69) of hyper-IgE in contrast to the urban population with 63.5% (45), (p <0.001). Limitations: there is no history of allergic processes related to IgE.

Conclusions: This study was able to determine that there is a significant difference in the IgE levels of children with geohelminth parasites between rural and urban populations. This may explain the decline in allergic reactions in older populations.