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Table 2 Presence of protozoan and helminth parasites in patients’ stool samples, univariable and multivariable analyses (n = 1042)

From: Intestinal parasites in stool testing among refugees at a primary care clinic in Toronto, Canada

 

Protozoans

Helminths

Negative n = 642

Clinically less significanta n = 375

Clinically significant pathogenb n = 25

Clinically significant pathogens vs. negative and less significant protozoans

Negative n = 997

Positive n = 44

Positive vs. negative

n (%)

n (%)

n (%)

OR (95% CI)

n (%)

n (%)

OR (95% CI)

Sex

 Male

305 (57.3)

216 (40.6)

11 (2.1)

1

502 (94.4)

30 (5.6)

1

 Female

337 (66.1)

159 (31.1)

14 (2.8)

1.01 (0.99–1.03)

496 (97.3)

14 (2.7)

0.97 (0.95–1.00)

Age

 0–9

98 (72.6)

30 (22.2)

7 (5.2)

1.05 (1.02–1.08)

131 (97.0)

4 (3.0)

0.99 (0.95–1.03)

 10–19

55 (75.0)

15 (20.5)

3 (4.1)

1.04 (1.00–1.08)

69 (94.5)

4 (5.5)

1.02 (0.97–1.07)

 20–29

150 (56.6)

107 (40.4)

8 (3.0)

1.02 (1.00–1.05)

252 (95.1)

13 (4.9)

1.01 (0.98–1.04)

 30–39

199 (58.5)

139 (40.9)

2 (0.6)

1

327 (96.2)

13 (3.8)

1

 40–49

96 (60.4)

61 (38.4)

2 (1.3)

1.01 (0.98–1.04)

150 (94.3)

9 (5.7)

1.02 (0.98–1.06)

 50–59

29 (60.4)

17 (35.4)

2 (4.2)

1.04 (0.99–1.09)

47 (97.9)

1 (2.1)

0.98 (0.92–1.04)

 60–69

14 (73.3)

4 (21.1)

1 (5.3)

1.05 (0.98–1.12)

19 (100)

0 (0.0)

0.96 (0.88–1.06)

 70+

1 (33.3)

2 (66.7)

0 (0.0)

0.99 (0.84–1.18)

3 (100)

0 (0.0)

0.96 (0.77–1.21)

Region of birthd

 East Asia & Pacific

60 (87.0)

8 (11.6)

1 (1.4)

1.01 (0.97–1.04)

64 (92.8)

5 (7.2)

1.02 (0.97–1.07)

 Europe & Central Asia

31 (83.8)

5 (13.5)

1 (2.7)

1.02 (0.97–1.07)

37 (100)

0 (0.0)

0.95 (0.89–1.02)

 Latin America & Caribbean

49 (57.0)

33 (38.4)

4 (4.7)

1.04 (1.00–1.07)

84 (97.7)

2 (2.3)

0.97 (0.93–1.02)

 Middle East & North Africa

63 (58.9)

38 (35.5)

6 (5.6)

1.05 (1.02–1.08)

107 (100)

0 (0.0)

0.95 (0.91–0.99)

 North America

2 (100)

0 (0.0)

0 (0.0)

0.99 (0.80–1.22)

2 (100)

0 (0.0)

0.95 (0.72–1.26)

 South Asia

38 (50.0)

31 (40.8)

7 (9.2)

1.09 (1.05–1.13)

73 (96.1)

3 (3.9)

0.99 (0.94–1.04)

 Sub-Saharan Africa

398 (59.9)

260 (39.2)

6 (0.9)

1

631 (94.9)

34 (5.1)

1

Region of origind

 East Asia & Pacific

65 (86.7)

9 (12.0)

1 (1.3)

1.00 (0.97–1.04)

70 (93.3)

5 (6.7)

1.01 (0.96–1.06)

 Europe & Central Asia

74 (71.8)

28 (27.2)

1 (1.0)

1.00 (0.97–1.03)

103 (100)

0 (0.0)

0.95 (0.91–0.99)

 Latin America & Caribbean

47 (56.0)

34 (40.5)

3 (3.6)

1.03 (0.99–1.06)

82 (97.6)

2 (2.4)

0.97 (0.93–1.02)

 Middle East & North Africa

43 (52.4)

33 (40.2)

6 (7.3)

1.06 (1.03–1.10)

81 (98.8)

1 (1.2)

0.96 (0.92–1.00)

 North America

64 (61.5)

36 (34.6)

4 (3.8)

1.03 (1.00–1.06)

99 (95.2)

5 (4.8)

0.99 (0.95–1.04)

 South Asia

17 (45.9)

16 (43.2)

4 (10.8)

1.10 (1.05–1.16)

36 (97.3)

1 (2.7)

0.97 (0.91–1.04)

 Sub-Saharan Africa

332 (59.7)

218 (39.2)

6 (1.1)

1

526 (94.6)

30 (5.4)

1

Refugee category

 Refugee claimant

599 (62.0)

347 (35.9)

20 (2.1)

1

922 (95.4)

44 (4.6)

1

 Otherc

43 (57.3)

27 (36.0)

5 (6.7)

1.05 (1.01–1.09)

75 (100)

0 (0.0)

0.96 (0.91–1.00)

Region of origin same as region of birthd

510 (61.4)

300 (36.1)

21 (2.5)

1.01 (0.98–1.03)

793 (95.4)

38 (4.6)

1.02 (0.99–1.05)

Country of origin same as country of birthd

351 (58.1)

238 (39.4)

15 (2.5)

1.00 (0.98–1.02)

575 (95.2)

29 (4.8)

1.01 (0.99–1.04)

Level of educatione

 Children ≤ 18 years

148 (74.4)

41 (20.6)

10 (5.0)

1.03 (1.01–1.06)

191 (96.0)

8 (4.0)

0.99 (0.96–1.03)

 None

7 (58.3)

4 (33.3)

1 (8.3)

1.07 (0.98–1.17)

12 (100)

0 (0.0)

0.95 (0.85–1.07)

 Less than high school

86 (61.8)

49 (35.3)

4 (2.9)

1.01 (0.98–1.04)

136 (97.8)

3 (2.2)

0.97 (0.94–1.01)

 Graduated high school

167 (67.9)

76 (30.9)

3 (1.2)

1.00 (0.97–1.02)

234 (95.1)

12 (4.9)

1.00 (0.97–1.03)

 Some or completed university/post-secondary

222 (52.1)

197 (46.2)

7 (1.6)

1

405 (95.1)

21 (4.9)

1

Underweight BMIf

19 (65.5)

8 (27.6)

2 (6.9)

1.05 (0.99–1.11)

27 (93.1)

2 (6.9)

1.03 (0.95–1.11)

 Anemiag

92 (64.8)

49 (34.5)

1 (0.7)

0.98 (0.96–1.01)

138 (97.2)

4 (2.8)

0.98 (0.95–1.02)

Eosinophil counth

  < 0.5

583 (62.2)

335 (35.7)

20 (2.1)

1

908 (96.8)

30 (3.2)

1

 0.5–1.5

52 (60.5)

30 (34.9)

4 (4.7)

1.03 (0.99–1.06)

74 (86.0)

12 (14.0)

1.11 (1.07–1.16)

  > 1.5

1 (14.3)

6 (85.7)

0 (0.0)

0.98 (0.87–1.1)

5 (71.4)

2 (28.6)

1.29 (1.11–1.49)

Pregnanti

58 (68.2)

25 (29.4)

2 (2.4)

1.01 (0.99–1.04)

81 (95.3)

4 (4.7)

1.02 (0.98–1.06)

  1. a“Clinically less significant protozoans” includes Blastocystis hominis, Dientamoeba fragilis, and Entamoeba dispar; b“Clinically significant pathogen” here includes Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, and Sarcocystis hominis; cOther refugee categories include: GARs, PSRs, BVORs; dmissing n = 1; emissing n = 20; fUnderweight defined as BMI < 5%ile (WHO age and sex-adjusted curves) for children and adolescents up to age 19 and BMI < 18.5 for adults, missing n = 97; gmissing n = 22; hmissing n = 11, 109 cells/liter; iIn reproductive aged females 15–49 years