Diarrhea and acaroid mites: a clinical study.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the characteristics of diarrhea caused by acaroid mites.


METHODS
Acaroid mites in fresh stools of 241 patients with diarrhea were separated by flotation in saturated saline. Meanwhile, skin prick test, total IgE and mite-specific IgE were detected in all patients.


RESULTS
The total positive rate of mites in stool samples of the patients was 17.01 % (41/241), the positive rates of mites in male and female patients were 15.86 % (23/145) and 18.75 % (18/96), respectively, without significant difference (P>0.05). The percentage of skin prick test as "+++", "++", "+", "+/-" and "-" was 9.13 % (22/241), 7.47 % (18/241), 5.81 % (14/241), 4.98 % (12/241) and 72.61 % (175/241), respectively. The serum levels of total IgE, mite-specific IgE in patients with and without mites in stool samples were (165.72+/-78.55) IU/ml, (132.44+/-26.80) IU/ml and (145.22+/-82.47) IU/ml, (67.35+/-45.28) IU/ml, respectively, with significant difference (P<0.01). The positive rate of mites in stool samples in staffs working in traditional Chinese medicine storehouses or rice storehouses (experimental group) was 26.74 % (23/86), which was significantly higher than that (11.61 %, 18/155) in people engaged in other professions (chi(2)=8.97, P<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Acaroid mites cause diarrhea and increase serum levels of total IgE and mite-specific IgE of patients, and the prevalence of diarrhea caused by acaroid mites is associated with occupations rather than the gender of patients.
Li
Chao-Pin
CP
Department of Etiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science Technology, Huainan 232001, Anhui Province, China. cpli@aust.edu.cn
Cui
Yu-Bao
YB
Wang
Jian
J
Yang
Qing-Gui
QG
Tian
Ye
Y
D000053:Acari; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008924:Mite Infestations / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D012275:Oryza; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution
D007073:Immunoglobulin E