Volume 7, Number 5—October 2001
Research
Factors Contributing to the Emergence of Escherichia coli O157 in Africa
Table
Risk factors for diarrheal illness among sugar cane plantation residents during an outbreak of Eschericha coli O157 infections in Swaziland, 1992
Respondents with risk or exposure |
Respondents without risk or exposure |
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Risk or exposure | Total | No. with diarrhea* (%) | No. with bloody diarrhea (%) | Total | No. with diarrhea* (%) | No. with bloodydiarrhea (%) | RR for diarrhea (95% CI) | RR for bloody diarrhea (95% CI) |
Untreated water consumption | ||||||||
From a standpipe | 270 | 152 (56) | 49 (18) | 467 | 157 (34) | 36 (8) | 1.7 (1.4-2.0) | 2.4 (1.5-3.7) |
Stream or river | 391 | 204 (52) | 65 (17) | 354 | 113 (32) | 22 (6) | 1.6 (1.3-2.0) | 2.7 (1.7-4.3) |
Irrigation trench | 250 | 139 (56) | 50 (20) | 507 | 178 (35) | 38 (7) | 1.6 (1.3-1.9) | 2.7 (1.8-4.1) |
On fruits and vegetables | 182 | 102 (56) | 36 (20) | 533 | 199 (37) | 49 (9) | 1.5 (1.2-1.8) | 2.2 (1.3-3.4) |
Beef consumption | ||||||||
In the weekly ration | 707 | 311 (44) | 87 (12) | 63 | 14 (22) | 3 (5) | 2.0 (1.2-3.3) | 2.6 (0.8-8.2) |
From a cow found dead | 180 | 106 (59) | 31 (17) | 476 | 172 (36) | 47 (10) | 1.6 (1.3-2.0) | 1.7 (1.2-2.7) |
Not purchased from a butchery | 488 | 226 (46) | 67 (14) | 255 | 89 (35) | 20 (8) | 1.3 (1.1-1.7) | 1.8 (1.1-2.9) |
Female gender | 352 | 173 (49) | 48 (14) | 400 | 143 (36) | 41 (10) | 1.4 (1.2-1.7) | 1.3 (0.9-2.0) |
a Total responses for any given risk factor or exposure may vary slightly and may not equal the total number of survey participants because indeterminate responses to any exposure question (e.g. "Don't remember" or missing value) were not included in the analyses. RR = relative risk; 95% CI = 95% confidence interval.