RESUMEN
The role of antigen prepared from Schistosoma hematobium adult worm [ShAWA, WHO, Geneva] in diagnosis of active urinary schistosomiasis, by counter-immunoelectrophoresis [CIEP], was evaluated by comparison with simpler methods as sedimentation of urinary ova and detection of hematuria by chemical reagent strips. Sixty patients [30 school boys and 30 adults] passing living S. hematobium eggs, as detected, by nucleopore filtration technique [NF], and 30 controls were studied. Results showed statistically significantly higher [P <0.001] eggs counts in school boys than adults. Sensitivities of hematuria detection, ova sedimentation and CIEP were 93.3%, 80%, 50%, 70%, 73.3%, 33.3% in school boys and adults, respectively. It was concluded that direct parasitological examination of urine samples is more superior than CIEP using homologous ShAWA to detect active urinary schistosomiasis both qualitatively and quantitatively. Hematuria detected by chemical reagent strips can identify a high proportion of active urinary schistosomiasis in epidemiological surveys in endemic areas. Nucleopore filtration is more superior than ova sedimentation method for detection of active urinary schistosomiasis