Adult resistance to schistosomiasis mansoni: age-dependence of reinfection remains constant in communities with diverse exposure patterns

In a fishing community on Lake Albert in Uganda the pattern of intensity of Schistosoma mansoni infection 6 months after treatment with praziquantel was found to be very similar to reinfection patterns seen in previously studied endemic communities: the profile peaks sharply at around the age of 10...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inParasitology Vol. 118 ( Pt 1); p. 101
Main Authors Kabatereine, N B, Vennervald, B J, Ouma, J H, Kemijumbi, J, Butterworth, A E, Dunne, D W, Fulford, A J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 01.01.1999
Subjects
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Animals
Antiplatyhelmintic Agents - therapeutic use
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Occupational Diseases - drug therapy
Occupational Diseases - parasitology
Parasite Egg Count
Praziquantel - therapeutic use
Schistosoma mansoni - isolation & purification
Schistosomiasis mansoni - drug therapy
Schistosomiasis mansoni - parasitology
Time Factors
Water - parasitology
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Summary:In a fishing community on Lake Albert in Uganda the pattern of intensity of Schistosoma mansoni infection 6 months after treatment with praziquantel was found to be very similar to reinfection patterns seen in previously studied endemic communities: the profile peaks sharply at around the age of 10 years falling away rapidly to much lower levels in adults. This is in stark contrast to the patterns of water contact, which differ greatly between fishing and non-fishing communities. On Lake Albert, adults appear to be more heavily exposed than children. From these observations we conclude that adults are physiologically (perhaps immunologically) more resistant to infection after treatment than children.
ISSN:0031-1820
1469-8161
DOI:10.1017/S0031182098003576