ABSTRACT
The authors give the results of a global and rapid study, using a simple methodology, of a suburban onchocerciasis focus located in the vicinity of Brazzaville. It follows, from the entomological, parasitological and clinical data, that the transmission is high inside this focus and therefore, it seems necessary to take, all measures in order to eradicate the focus.
Subject(s)
Onchocerciasis/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Child , Child, Preschool , Congo , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Middle Aged , Onchocerciasis/parasitology , Onchocerciasis/physiopathologyABSTRACT
The authors have recently preconised systematic treatment of every human being who is fluorescent positive. The evolution of antibodies of 26 subjects parasitologically negative and positive only in FAT test is described here after treatment with Arsobal. Statistically the antibodies decrease progressively like antibodies of Sleeping Sickness patients of first period usually did. Therefore it is possible to conclude that immunological suspects who were treated were realy sick and rightly cured.
Subject(s)
Trypanosomiasis, African/therapy , Congo , Fluorescent Antibody Technique , Humans , Trypanosomiasis, African/diagnosis , Trypanosomiasis, African/immunologyABSTRACT
The authors have studied the evolution of fluorescent antibodies in the serum and the C. S. F. of treated Sleeping Sickness patients regularly examined when coming to Brazzaville for their periodical controls. They have observed more than 200 patients who were followed during three years. The authors demonstrated that curing patients show the following particularities: -- serum becomes negative less rapidly than C. S. F., -- delay of negativation of the serum varies according to the stage of the disease, -- the C. S. F. positive in fluorescence becomes negative in less than twelve months. On the other hand, relapsing patients show some striking differences, such as: -- C. S. F. remains always strongly fluorescent positive, -- the serology remains positive too, but can present some fluctuations. Some very particular cases such as "nuclear fluorescence only" or discrepancy between IFAT and clinico-parasitological data are then analysed. From a practical point of view, it appears that, as often as not, the evolution of fluorescent antibodies in serum and in C. S. F. allows to prognose either the cure or the relapse less than one year after treatment.
Subject(s)
Antibodies/analysis , Fluorescent Antibody Technique , Trypanosomiasis/parasitology , Cell Nucleus/parasitology , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Recurrence , Trypanosomiasis/cerebrospinal fluid , Trypanosomiasis/prevention & controlABSTRACT
From 1952 to 1976, 910 cases of intestinal schistosomiasis have been registered in People's Republic of Congo. The distribution is not homogeneous. The higher rate has been registered in Brazzaville. The country annual rate is increasing and this constitutes a potential danger.
Subject(s)
Schistosomiasis/epidemiology , Animals , Congo , Disease Reservoirs , Disease Vectors , HumansABSTRACT
The sera and CSF collected on 200 patients suffering from sleeping sickness were collected before treatment and tested with fluorescent antibody test. The proportion of strongly positive sera is very important in the first period and decreases progressively with the alteration of CSF. This shows the reliability of the FAT technique as a screening method because it is in the first period that it is difficult to diagnose the disease. 14% of CSF collected during the 1st period are positive with FAT: this fluorescence certainly reflects the presence of the parasite and confirms Burke et al. observations. The notion of periodicity can be questioned as well as the treatment protocol whick is traditionally based on the CSF cytochemistry.
