AIMS To find out whether serology can reliably speciate human schistosomiasis using a simple enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. METHODS Stored sera from 66 patients with microscopically confirmed schistosomiasis were subjected to ELISA using a panel of three antigens, namely: unfractionated Schistosoma mansoni soluble egg antigen (SEA); CEF6, a cationic fraction of SEA; and ...

In an initial cross-sectional survey, serum, urine, and stool samples were collected from 370 participants representing about 10% of the population (n = 4,438) in Behbeet village, 50 km south of Cairo, Egypt, an area well known to be endemic solely for Schistosoma haematobium. Diagnosis was approached in two parallel ways. The first approach, which simulated actual conditions in many endemic ar...

Approximately 200,000,000 people have schistosomiasis (schistosome infection). Among the schistosomes, Schistosoma haematobium is responsible for the most infections, which are present in 110 million people globally, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. This pathogen causes an astonishing breadth of sequelae: hematuria, anemia, dysuria, stunting, uremia, bladder cancer, urosepsis, and human immunodefi...

In order to evaluate differentiate genetic differences among Schistosoma japonicum isolates from Dali Ancient City, Xizhou and Yongsheng County, Yunnan Province, China, mitochondrial col, cytb, nd1, nd6, and nd4l were PCR amplified and sequenced, revealing nucleotide difference(s) among these strains of 8, 1, 5, 4, and 0, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that S. japonicum from the thr...

Malaria and schistosomiasis are the world's two most important parasitic infections in terms of distribution, morbidity, and mortality. In areas where Plasmodium and Schistosoma species are both endemic, coinfections are commonplace. Mouse models demonstrate that schistosomiasis worsens a malaria infection; however, just as mice and humans differ greatly, the murine-infecting Plasmodium species...

A multiplex real-time PCR assay for the detection and quantification of Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium DNA in faecal samples was developed and evaluated as an alternative diagnostic method to study the epidemiology of schistosomiasis. Primers and probes targeting the cytochrome c oxidase gene were designed for species-specific amplification and were combined with an internal control. Us...

BACKGROUND Much of the developing world, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, exhibits high levels of morbidity and mortality associated with infectious diseases. The incidence of Schistosoma sp.-which are neglected tropical diseases exposing and infecting more than 500 and 200 million individuals in 77 countries, respectively-is rising because of 1) numerous irrigation and hydro-electric projects,...

BACKGROUND Chronic schistosomiasis is associated with T cell hypo-responsiveness and immunoregulatory mechanisms, including induction of regulatory T cells (Tregs). However, little is known about Treg functional capacity during human Schistosoma haematobium infection. METHODOLOGY CD4+CD25hiFOXP3+ cells were characterized by flow cytometry and their function assessed by analysing total and Tre...

BACKGROUND Morbidity due to Schistosoma haematobium and hookworm infections is marked in those with intense co-infections by these parasites. The development of a spatial predictive decision-support tool is crucial for targeting the delivery of integrated mass drug administration (MDA) to those most in need. We investigated the co-distribution of S. haematobium and hookworm infection, plus the ...