Cohort demographics and clinical summaries
| Africa | Asia | ||
| total N=524 | n=411* | n=113† | p Value‡ |
| Demographics | |||
| Age (median (IQR) years) | 7.1 (3.6–11.0) | 7.8 (2.8–11.9) | NS |
| Body mass index (median (IQR)) | 16.5 (15.3–18.1) | 16.2 (14.9–18.7) | NS |
| Male (% of n) | 47% | 51% | NS |
| Clinical history (% of n) | |||
| Cough | 1.9% | 0% | NS |
| Underweight§ | 8% | 12% | NS |
| Household TB contact: | |||
| Definite or suspected | 6% | 17% | 0.0001 |
| (definite; suspected) | (3%; 3%) | (11%; 6%) | |
| Clinical investigations (n; % of n) | |||
| Chest radiograph | n=101 | n=34 | |
| Abnormal | 5% | 3% | NS |
| Malaria | n=378 | n=108 | |
| Positive thick/thin films | 4% | 1% | NS |
| Hepatitis B | n=288 | n=68 | |
| Surface antigen positive | 2% | 3% | NS |
| Hepatitis C | n=384 | n=108 | |
| Serum antibody positive | 2% | 1% | NS |
| Schistosomiasis | n=389 | n=42 | |
| Positive (indirect haemagglutination titre >16) | 18% | 0% | 0.006 |
| Strongyloides | n=387 | n=108 | |
| Positive (>0.45, EIA expressed as absorbance) | 2% | 0% | NS |
| BCG | n=411 | n=112 | |
| Scar/history | 67% | 77% | NS |
| Laboratory investigations (median (IQR)) | |||
| Lymphocytes (×109/l) | 3.0 (2.3–4.1) | 3.0 (2.4–4.0) | NS |
| Neutrophils (×109/l) | 2.1 (1.7–2.8) | 3.7 (3.1–4.5) | <0.0001 |
| Eosinophils (×109/l) | 0.2 (0.1–0.3) | 0.3 (0.2–0.5) | <0.0001 |
| Haemoglobin (g/l) | 121 (111–128) | 123 (117–130) | 0.02 |
| Albumin (g/l) | 45 (43–47) | 47 (45–48) | <0.0001 |
| Vitamin D (μmol/l) | 57 (43–70) | 46 (32–60) | <0.0001 |
↵* Country of birth: Sudan (24%), Uganda (12%) Tanzania (11%), DRC (10%), Kenya (5%), Ethiopia (5%), other (33%). Country of transit: Uganda (21%), Tanzania (12%), Sudan (10%), Guinea (9%), Kenya (8%) Egypt (7%), other (33%).
↵† Country of birth: Thailand (52%), Myanmar (36%), Malaysia (7%), India (4%), Indonesia (2%). Country of transit: Thailand (64%), Malaysia (25%), India (6%), Myanmar (4%), Indonesia (2%).
↵‡ Comparison of African vs Asian: χ2 test used for dichotomous variables; t test used for continuous variables,with log transformation of laboratory marker values. NS, p value >0.1; NS¶, 0.05 <p value <0.1
↵§ <5th percentile of body mass index for age charts compiled by the World Health Organization (0–5 years) or the National Center for Health Statistics (>5 years).
EIA, enzyme immunoassay; TB, tuberculosis.