Schistosomiasis in Addis Ababa.

With increased migration of infected people into cities schistosomiasis is increasingly becoming an urban disease in many endemic countries, including Ethiopia. Recently, 9 children (11-15 years of age) from an elementary school in Addis were found positive for S. mansoni by stool examination. Eight of the children reported to have never been outside Addis, information which was also confirmed from their parents/guardians. The possible occurrence of authochtonous transmission of intestinal schistosomiasis in Addis and the possible factors responsible for this are discussed and the need for more systematic survey suggested.

The status of Schistosoma mansoni and snail hosts in Tigray and northern Wello regions, northern Ethiopia.

A survey of Schistosoma mansoni infection and snail hosts was carried out in 1992 in six accessible schools and 11 water bodies respectively. Five to ten per cent of the students were randomly selected for stool examination by the Ritichie's method. In Adwa town, however, stools of 100 students out of the 199 selected were re-examined by Kato's method to assess intensity of infection. Results of stools examined by Ritichie's method showed that S. mansoni positive patients were present in four out of six (66.7%) schools, the prevalence for school ranging from 1% in Maychew to 61.8% in Adwa. In all the localities, there was significant male preponderance in the prevalence of infection (p < 0.05). Among those whose stools were examined by the Kato's method in Adwa town, both prevalence and geometric mean egg count per gram of faeces (EPG) were highest in the 10 to 14 years age group reaching 68% and 597 followed by 64% and 591 respectively in the 15 to 19 years of age. Of the S. mansoni positive students in Adwa, 86% excreted 200 or more EPG, 84% of those in the 10 to 14 years of age excreted as high as 1,600 EPG. Sexwise, no significant difference was observed in EPG (p > 0.05). Biomphalaria pfeifferi, the principal snail host of S. mansoni in Ethiopia, were collected from five out of the 11 waterbodies and were found shedding human schistosome cercariae in two of them, their infection rate reaching 0.7%. The ecological characteristics observed were found suitable for snail propagation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A method of comparing the toxicities of disease suppressive agents: possible application to a comparison between D-penicillamine and chloroquine.

A general method for calculating incidences of the more common adverse reactions during long-term therapy with disease suppressive agents is presented. With D-penicillamine treatment, the incidence of proteinuria rises during 6-12 months and then declines, but with aurothiomalate treatment the incidence of proteinuria and rash progressively decline. Low-dose chloroquine treatment was associated with a much lower withdrawal rate due to adverse reactions compared to D-penicillamine. However, the efficacy at mean doses of chloroquine less than 250 mg day-1 has not been formally evaluated. A formal, well-controlled trial comparing D-penicillamine, at current dosage, and of chloroquine, at low dosage, seems warranted in order to place the usefulness of D-penicillamine in perspective.