BACKGROUND: The current epidemic of asthma and atopy has been explained by alterations in immune responses related to reduction in childhood infections. However, the findings of epidemiologic studies investigating the association between infection with atopy and asthma have been inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate the effect of single or multiple infections (pathogen burden) on atopy and wheeze in urban children from Latin America. METHODS: Specific IgE against aeroallergens (sIgE) and skin prick test (SPT) reactivity for the most common local allergens were measured in 1128 children aged 4 to 11 years. Data on wheezing and potential confounders were collected by questionnaire. Infections by 8 pathogens were assessed by using serology and stool examination. Associations of wheeze and atopic outcomes with single and multiple infections were analyzed by means of logistic regression. RESULTS: Negative results for Toxoplasma gondii were associated with a higher prevalence of sIgE (≥0.70 kU/L), whereas negative results for Ascaris lumbricoides, T gondii, herpes simplex virus, and EBV were associated with a higher prevalence of SPT reactivity. Children with 3 or fewer infection markers had a higher prevalence of sIgE and SPT reactivity compared with those with 4 or more infection markers. However, isolated infections or pathogen burden were not associated with the prevalence of atopic or nonatopic wheeze. CONCLUSION: The findings provide support for the idea that the hygiene hypothesis is operating in an urban Latin American context, but its expression is thus far restricted to the atopic status of patients and not the perceived asthma symptoms.
BACKGROUND: The current epidemic of asthma and atopy has been explained by alterations in immune responses related to reduction in childhood infections. However, the findings of epidemiologic studies investigating the association between infection with atopy and asthma have been inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate the effect of single or multiple infections (pathogen burden) on atopy and wheeze in urban children from Latin America. METHODS: Specific IgE against aeroallergens (sIgE) and skin prick test (SPT) reactivity for the most common local allergens were measured in 1128 children aged 4 to 11 years. Data on wheezing and potential confounders were collected by questionnaire. Infections by 8 pathogens were assessed by using serology and stool examination. Associations of wheeze and atopic outcomes with single and multiple infections were analyzed by means of logistic regression. RESULTS: Negative results for Toxoplasma gondii were associated with a higher prevalence of sIgE (≥0.70 kU/L), whereas negative results for Ascaris lumbricoides, T gondii, herpes simplex virus, and EBV were associated with a higher prevalence of SPT reactivity. Children with 3 or fewer infection markers had a higher prevalence of sIgE and SPT reactivity compared with those with 4 or more infection markers. However, isolated infections or pathogen burden were not associated with the prevalence of atopic or nonatopic wheeze. CONCLUSION: The findings provide support for the idea that the hygiene hypothesis is operating in an urban Latin American context, but its expression is thus far restricted to the atopic status of patients and not the perceived asthma symptoms.
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Authors: Camila Alexandrina Figueiredo; Maurício Lima Barreto; Neuza Maria Alcantara-Neves; Laura Cunha Rodrigues; Philip John Cooper; Alvaro A Cruz; Lain Carlos Pontes-de-Carvalho; Denise C Lemaire; Ryan dos Santos Costa; Leila D Amorim; Candelaria Vergara; Nicholas Rafaels; Li Gao; Cassandra Foster; Monica Campbell; Rasika A Mathias; Kathleen C Barnes Journal: J Allergy Clin Immunol Date: 2012-12-28 Impact factor: 10.793
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Authors: Cintia Rodrigues Marques; Gustavo No Costa; Thiago Magalhães da Silva; Pablo Oliveira; Alvaro A Cruz; Neuza Maria Alcantara-Neves; Rosemeire L Fiaccone; Bernardo L Horta; Fernando Pires Hartwig; Esteban G Burchard; Maria Pino-Yanes; Laura C Rodrigues; Maria Fernanda Lima-Costa; Alexandre C Pereira; Mateus H Gouveia; Hanaisa P Sant Anna; Eduardo Tarazona-Santos; Maurício Lima Barreto; Camila Alexandrina Figueiredo Journal: Eur J Hum Genet Date: 2017-01-25 Impact factor: 4.246
Authors: Lívia Ribeiro Mendonça; Rafael Valente Veiga; Vitor Camilo Cavalcante Dattoli; Camila Alexandrina Figueiredo; Rosemeire Fiaccone; Jackson Santos; Álvaro Augusto Cruz; Laura Cunha Rodrigues; Philip John Cooper; Lain Carlos Pontes-de-Carvalho; Maurício Lima Barreto; Neuza Maria Alcantara-Neves Journal: PLoS Negl Trop Dis Date: 2012-11-01