Schistosomiasis mansoni in the "Baixada Ocidental Maranhense", state of Maranhao, Brazil: cross-sectional studies performed in 1987 and 1993

Realizou-se, em 1993, estudo transversal acerca da ocorrencia de esquistossomose mansoni em tres localidades da Baixada Ocidental Maranhense: Alegre (municipio de Sao Bento), Alianca (municipio de Cururupu) e Coroata II (municipio de Sao Joao Batista). Os resultados foram cotejados aos de outro estudo, efetuado nas mesmas localidades e em condicoes semelhantes, em 1987. Em ambos os estudos, salvo poucas excecoes, toda a populacao das tres localidades foi submetida a exame parasitologico de fezes, pelo metodo de Kato-Katz e a intradermorreacao para esquistossomose. Os individuos que apresentaram resultado positivo em algum desses exames foram avaliados clinicamente, por meio de exame fisico. Em 1993, ao todo, 827 pessoas foram submetidas a exame de fezes e 826 a intradermorreacao...

Water-contact patterns and risk factors for Schistosoma mansoni infection in a rural village of Northeast Brazil

A esquistossomose mansonica na localidade de Serrano, municipio de Cururupu, Estado do Maranhao, Brasil, e uma endemia de dificil controle. Desde 1979, o PECE tem logrado reduzir a prevalencia de infeccao pelo S. mansoni e das formas graves da doenca. Na tentativa de identificar os fatores de risco responsaveis pela persistencia da infeccao, realizou-se, em novembro de 1995, um censo na localidade e, atraves de amostragem sistematica, aplicou-se questionario domiciliar a 294 pessoas de todas as idades. Neste inquerito domiciliar do tipo seccional, estudou-se dados socioeconomicos, demograficos, variacoes ambientais e de saneamento e indagou-se sobre os padroes de contato com a agua...

Schistosomiasis mansoni in three localities of western lowland of the state of Maranhäo before and after mass treatments

A cross-sectional study for schistosomiasis was carried out in the localities of Aliança, Alegre and Coroatá (districts of Cururupu, Säo Bento and Säo Joäo Batista, respectively) in the lowland of the state of Maranhäo, after respectively 13, 11 and 4 mass treatments with oxamniquine in the period of ten years (1977-1987). The study included clinical and quantitative fecal examination, skin test for Shistosoma mansoni infection, evaluation of man-water contact of the total population (829 persons) in the three localities and other epidemiological investigations such as infection rate and dynamics of the snail population. After 13 mass treatments in Aliança, the prevalence of S. mansoni infection was reduced from 57.9% to 7.4%. In Coroatá with 11 mass treatments the prevalence fell from 69.2% to 12.8% and in Alegre, with only 4 mass treatments there was pratically no reduction in prevalence: 22.9% to 21%. After mass treatments the type II hepatointestinal clinical form was 10.8% in Aliança, 17.9% in Alegre and 18% in Coroatá. The hepatosplenic (type III) form was not seen in Aliança and Coroatá but unexplanably it was 7.6% in Alegre. There was no correlation between the egg load elimination and the clinical forms

Cross-sectional and evolutive studies of schistosomiasis mansoni in untreated and mass treated endemic areas in the southeast and northeast of Brazil

Cross-sectional and evolutive studies on schistosomiasis mansoni were carried out before and after mass treatment in the endemic areas of Capitao Andrade and Padre Paraíso, state of Minas Gerais, Riachuelo, state of Sergipe, Alhandra, state of Paraíba, and Aliança, Alegre and Coroatá, lowland of the state of Maranhao, Brazil, in the last eighteen years. The studies included clinical and fecal examination by the Kato-Katz quantitative technique, skin testfor Schistosoma mansoni infection, evaluation of man-water contact and other epidemiological investigations such as infection rate and dynamic of the snail population. Results showed: (1) Higher prevalence of S. mansoni infection, greater egg load elimination and higher and earlier morbidity of the chronic froms of the disease in the southeast areas of Capitao Andrade and Padre Paraíso; (2) The incidence of hepatosplenic form is higher in some family clusters, in whites and mullattos in all the endemic areas but develop earlier in the southeast; (3) The prevalence and morbidity of schistosomiasis are decreasing both in the mass treated northeast and in the untreated southeast areas; (4) The mass treatment reduces rapidily the prevalence of the infection and the morbidity of the disease but can not control it because of the frequent reinfections due to the intensity of man-water contact