Enteric fever antigenemia with schistosomiasis

ABSTRACT

This study aims at evaluating the efficacy of a commercially available ELISA kit for Salmonella O-antigen detection [Kirkegaard and Perry laboratories] as a diagnostic technique in comparison to conventional diagnostic methods. Also, the role of Salmonella organisms as a cause of prolonged intermittent fever frequently encountered with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis was revised. The study was conducted on 4 groups of subjects. Group I, 80 patients with schistosomal hepatosplenomegaly and repeated attacks of fever. Group II, 72 non-schistosomal patients with clinical suspicion of enteric fever. Group III, 26 patients with schistosomal hepatosplenomegaly but with no history of fever and Group IV comprised 26 healthy subjects as controls. ELISA test for Salmonella antigen detection was found positive in 58.8%, 55.6% and 15.4% of Group I, II and III respectively while blood culture was found positive in 7.5%, 41.6% and 3.8% of the same groups. ELISA test was found also positive in 62% of serum samples, 70% of urine samples and 100% of blood broth mixture samples from patients with positive blood cultures for Salmonella. The same samples from patients with positive blood cultures for organisms other than Salmonella gave negative results by ELISA. We concluded that this ELISA test is specific and rather sensitive and could be a useful tool for the early and rapid diagnosis of Salmonella infections. Chronic Salmonella infection is still an important cause of prolonged fever among patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis