title: Opisthorchis felineus negatively associates with skin test reactivity in Russia-EuroPrevall-International Cooperation study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most studies on the relationship between helminth infections and atopic disorders have been conducted in (sub)tropical developing countries where exposure to multiple parasites and lifestyle can confound the relationship. We aimed to study the relationship between infection with the fish-borne helminth Opishorchis felineus and specific IgE, skin prick testing, and atopic symptoms in Western Siberia, with lifestyle and hygiene standards of a developed country.
  
  
  METHODS
  Schoolchildren aged 7-11 years were sampled from one urban and two rural regions. Skin prick tests (SPT) and specific IgE (sIgE) against food and aeroallergens were measured, and data on allergic symptoms and on demographic and socioeconomic factors were collected by questionnaire. Diagnosis of opisthorchiasis was based on PCR performed on stool samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 732 children included, 34.9% had opisthorchiasis. The sensitization to any allergen when estimated by positive SPT was 12.8%, while much higher, 24.0%, when measured by sIgE. Atopic symptoms in the past year (flexural eczema and/or rhinoconjunctivitis) were reported in 12.4% of the children. SPT was positively related to flexural eczema and rhinoconjunctivitis, but not to wheezing. Opisthorchiasis showed association with lower SPT response, as well as borderline association with low IgE reactivity to any allergen. However, the effect of opisthorchiasis on SPT response was not mediated by IgE, suggesting that opisthorchiasis influences SPT response through another mechanism. Opisthorchiasis also showed borderline association with lower atopic symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a negative association between a chronic helminth infection and skin prick test reactivity even in a developed country.
authors.affiliation: Department of Faculty Pediatrics, Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: O S
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Fedorova
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J J
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4884-5881
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Janse
authors.affiliation: Department of Faculty Pediatrics, Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ogorodova
authors.affiliation: Department of Faculty Pediatrics, Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Fedotova
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Achterberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Verweij
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Alergia, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, IdISSC, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernández-Rivas
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Immunology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Versteeg
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Epidemiology and Public Health, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Potts
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Epidemiology and Public Health, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Minelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Immunology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Ree
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Epidemiology and Public Health, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Burney
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yazdanbakhsh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009889:Opisthorchiasis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D009891:Opisthorchis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012882:Skin Tests / Q000592:standards*; D063189:Symptom Assessment
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E
keywords: 
  Opisthorchis felineus
  ; Atopic symptoms; EuroPrevall; Russia; skin prick testing