STRONGYLOIDES-STERCORALIS IN AN URBAN SLUM COMMUNITY IN BANGLADESH - FACTORS INDEPENDENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH INFECTION

Stool samples from 880 residents in an urban slum in Dhaka, Bangladesh , were collected on 3 occasions over one year, and examined for intest inal parasites. Information on many potential risk factors for infecti on was obtained by questionnaire from a respondent in each household s tudied. In a crude univariate analysis of the data, several of the fac tors were found to be significantly associated with Strongyloides ster coralis infection. Most of these factors were co-variate with one anot her, and with poverty generally. Using Mantel-Haenszel chi(2) tests to control for confounding effects of each variable individually, the fo llowing 4 factors remained independently associated with S. stercorali s infection: respondent's use of a community latrine rather than a pri vate latrine, living in a house with an earth floor rather than a ceme nt floor, being of Bihari ethnicity, and being 7-10 years of age. Impl ications of these results for the epidemiology and control of strongyl oidiasis are briefly discussed.