Fig 1.
Flow chart of the study design.
The groups are divided according to the status of helminth infection (HI) as helminth-infected (HI+) or helminth-uninfected (HI-) on arrival, and compared each individual between entry and after one year of follow up, then divided into three groups according to their HI status: persistent HI [HI(+,+) 69 individuals (60%)], eradicated HI [HI(+,-) 28 individuals (24.3%)], and those without HI [HI (-,-) 18 individuals (15.7%)].
Table 1.
Association between helminthic load and atopy in the new Ethiopian immigrants on arrival to Israel.
Fig 2.
Helminth infections (HI) and the prevalence of allergy.
Asthma and/or allergic rhinitis, positive skin prick test (SPT +) and delayed type hypersensitivity responses (PPD +) in the new Ethiopian immigrants on arrival to Israel. (A) The number of individuals in each group (n) and the statistical difference (p), between helminth infected (HI +) and non-infected (HI -) individuals. (B) The prevalence of allergic individuals at baseline and their HI status in absence of helminths (HI-) or in their presence (HI+), differences are shown for individuals with mono or multiple parasites infections. (C) The proportion of skin prick test (SPT) reactivity with the different allergens related to the HI status, is shown at baseline. Statistical p values <0.05 (*), <0.01 (**), and <0.001 (***). Chi square and Fisher’s exact test.
Fig 3.
The prevalence of allergy (asthma and or allergic rhinitis), positive skin prick test (SPT) and delayed type hypersensitivity responses (PPD) in the whole cohort (A), and in the different groups (B), showing the association between helminth infections (HI) on arrival and after a year in Israel. Helminth infected individuals (n) were divided into three groups; HI (+,+): Individuals infected with helminths on arrival and in whom the infection persisted after a year, HI (+,-): Individuals infected with helminths on arrival that were not infected after a year, and HI (-,-): Individuals in whom no helminths were found on arrival and after a year. Statistical p values <0.05 (*), <0.01 (**), and <0.001 (***). McNemar’s test.
Fig 4.
Prevalence of allergen sensitizations by positive skin prick test (SPT +) to the different allergens are shown at baseline and after a year for the whole cohort. Dust mites dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DP) and dermatophagoides farina (DF); feather mix (Feath); cockroach (Cockr); cat pelt; dog epithelium; pollens of grass mix; weed mix, olive and cypress trees. Statistical p values <0.05 (*), <0.01 (**), and <0.001 (***). McNemar’s test.
Table 2.
Paired analysis of normal new Ethiopian immigrants on arrival, their association with helminths, and the development of new allergen sensitizations after one year in Israel.
Fig 5.
Individual allergen sensitization.
(A) Proportion of individuals reacting between 0 and 10 different allergens (McNemar’s test) and (B) Number of allergen sensitizations per individual in the different helminth infections (HI) groups, at baseline and after a year. The distribution of the number of different allergens per individual causing positive SPT responses are represented by the boxes that represent 75% of the data values. The horizontal black line across the box marks the median value. The error bar shows the 90th percentile of the population. Individual data-points falling beyond that boundary are shown as dots. HI (+,+): individuals with persistent infection after a year, HI (+,-): individuals infected with helminths on arrival and not infected after a year, and HI (-,-): individuals in whom no helminths were found on arrival and after a year. Statistical differences between the groups are shown, p values <0.05 (*), <0.01 (**), and <0.001 (***). ns: not significant. Wilcoxon signed ranks test.