rheumatoid factor in human schistosomiasis

The rheumatoid factor [RF] exists in a variety of chronic infections. Schistosomiasis is thought to be one of the chronic infections during which RF is synthesized. In the present study, the sera of 88 schistosomiasis patients with different stages of disease-associated complications [heaviness of infection; hepatosplenomegaly and intestinal polyps] were screened for RF positivity-by the latex aggIutination test. The proportion of patients having positive RF was not significantly different than in the normal healthy population, and in those patients with positive RF the titer was quite low