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Prevalence of antibodies against Ascaris suum and its association with allergic manifestations in 4-year-old children in the Netherlands: the PIAMA birth cohort study

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Abstract

The association between helminth infections and childhood atopic diseases remains controversial. The majority of studies have been carried out in tropical areas, whereas less information is available from western countries with low intensity of helminth infections. In the Netherlands, the infection of pigs with Ascaris suum is very common, particularly on pig farms with outdoor facilities. This helminth can also infect humans, causing visceral larva migrans. This study aims at determining the prevalence of antibodies against A. suum and its association with allergic symptoms and sensitisation in a population of 4-year-old children living in the Netherlands. Blood samples from 629 children from the prospective birth cohort Prevention and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy (PIAMA) study were examined for Ascaris antibodies. Data on allergic symptoms and sensitisation were collected using questionnaires and radioallergosorbent tests (RAST). A total of 45 out of 629 (7%) were found to be Ascaris-seropositive. In addition, a positive association between Ascaris seropositivity and wheeze in the last year, doctor-diagnosed asthma and food and aero-allergen sensitisation was found. These results support the hypothesis that low-level or transient infection with helminths enhances allergic reactivity.

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Acknowledgements

The PIAMA study was funded primarily by grants from the Dutch Asthma Funds, the Ministry of the Environment and ZonMw, the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Diagnostic Laboratory for Infectious Diseases and Perinatal Screening, Centre for Infectious Disease Control Netherlands, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA, Bilthoven, The Netherlands

    E. Pinelli, D. Hoek & L. M. Kortbeek

  2. Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, IRAS, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    S. M. Willers, F. van Knapen & B. Brunekreef

  3. Center for Prevention and Health Services Research, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands

    H. A. Smit

  4. Centre for Paediatric Allergology, Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    M. Hoekstra

  5. Erasmus University Medical Center, Sophia Children’s Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    J. de Jongste

  6. Department of Pulmonology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    D. Postma

  7. Department of Epidemiology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    M. Kerkhof

  8. Sanquin Research at CLB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    R. Aalberse

  9. Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control Netherlands, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands

    J. W. B. van der Giessen

  10. Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    B. Brunekreef

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  1. E. Pinelli
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  2. S. M. Willers
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  3. D. Hoek
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  4. H. A. Smit
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  5. L. M. Kortbeek
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  6. M. Hoekstra
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  7. J. de Jongste
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  8. F. van Knapen
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  9. D. Postma
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  10. M. Kerkhof
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  11. R. Aalberse
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  12. J. W. B. van der Giessen
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  13. B. Brunekreef
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Correspondence to E. Pinelli.

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Pinelli, E., Willers, S.M., Hoek, D. et al. Prevalence of antibodies against Ascaris suum and its association with allergic manifestations in 4-year-old children in the Netherlands: the PIAMA birth cohort study. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 28, 1327–1334 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-009-0785-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-009-0785-6

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