HOUSEHOLD AGGREGATION OF STRONGYLOIDES-STERCORALIS INFECTION IN BANGLADESH

Strongyloides stercoralis infections were shown to be aggregated in ho useholds in an urban slum community in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Parasitologi cal data on 880 residents living in 280 households were analysed stati stically using 3 different tests, each of which yielded significant ev idence of household aggregation of S. stercoralis infection. One test was applied to the data after stratification for 4 variables which wer e previously shown to be independently associated with infection. Evid ence of household aggregation of infection remained after stratificati on, suggesting that aggregation is due not only to shared risk factors , but also to either familial genetic predisposition to infection or c lose contact person to person transmission of infection within househo lds.