Eosinophilia in Southeast Asian refugees: evaluation at a referral center

Abstract

We determined the cause of persistent eosinophilia in 128 Indochinese refugees for whom initial comprehensive routine screening had failed to yield an explanation. Intestinal parasitism with one or multiple organisms was the cause of eosinophilia in all but six of these patients. Hookworm and Strongyloides stercoralis were among the potentially pathogenic organisms most frequently implicated (55% and 38%, respectively). There was no correlation between the age or sex of the patients and the type of infecting organism. We also confirmed the usefulness of a previously described serological test for diagnosing infection with Strongyloides stercoralis and examined the test's ability to distinguish between infected and noninfected individuals and to determine parasitological cure.