Emergence of Schistosoma mansoni infection in upper Egypt: the Giza governorate.

Abstract

Abstract. We found an unexpectedly high prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni in a village in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Giza. Historically, S. mansoni is endemic in the northern Egyptian Nile Delta rather than in the southern Upper Egypt. This observation was made during an evaluation of a rural health care schistosomiasis surveillance program using a cross sectional survey for S. haematobium and S. mansoni in the village of El-Gezira El-Shakra ElSaf district in the Upper Egypt Giza Governorate. A 10% systematic random sample of households of the village was chosen. All persons in the selected houses were invited to submit urine and stool samples. All students from a primary school were also included in the study. Urine was screened by a polycarbonate filtration method and stool was examined using modified Kato-Katz technique. The prevalence of S. mansoni in the population sample and in the school children was 33.7% and 57.7%, respectively, whereas the prevalence of S. haematobium infection in the population sample and the school children was 7.4% and 10.6%, respectively. The prevalence of infection was highest in the younger age groups, and males were infected more than females. Review of Ministry of Health records showed that both species of vector snails, Bulinus truncatus and Biomphalaria alexandrina, were present from 1991 to 1995, and that B. alexandrina was more abundant than B. truncatus in the canals surrounding this village. The unexpected high prevalence of S. mansoni in this village indicates an urgent need to include training programs for S. mansoni surveillance in the primary health care facilities of Giza and to educate villagers to request examinations for S. mansoni as well as for S. haematobium infection.

Epidemiology of Schistosomiasis in Egypt: Travel through Time: Review

“…S. mansoni was rare being consequential in Fayoum only, which had a prevalence of 4.3% [23,32,33] . Although this survey did not include Giza, yet another study carried out in one of the villages of this governorate indicated that the estimated prevalence of S. haematobium was 7.4% which was in accord with the results of other areas of Middle and Upper Egypt [34–36] . On the other hand, the prevalence of S. mansoni was unusually high amongst the villagers (33.7%) and exceptionally high amongst the primary school children (57.7%) of the same village [36] .…”

“…Although this survey did not include Giza, yet another study carried out in one of the villages of this governorate indicated that the estimated prevalence of S. haematobium was 7.4% which was in accord with the results of other areas of Middle and Upper Egypt [34–36] . On the other hand, the prevalence of S. mansoni was unusually high amongst the villagers (33.7%) and exceptionally high amongst the primary school children (57.7%) of the same village [36] . In conclusion, the study of the nine governorates of Egypt confirmed the already documented change in the pattern of transmission of both species of schistosome infection in Upper and Lower Egypt [22] .…”

“…Middle and Upper Egypt control projects [24,36] were the largest of those conducted in Egypt. They covered about two million irrigated Feddans and a total population of more than 12 million people.…”

Efficacy of Mirazid in Comparison With Praziquantel in Egyptian Schistosoma Mansoni–infected School Children and Households

“…11 The study area can be considered a new focus of S. mansoni because all control programs were concerned mainly with S. haematobium, which is less prevalent than S. mansoni. 10 The cure rate in this study for Mirazid-treated household members and school children was 8.9% and 9.1%, respectively. Irrespective of the type of treatment, all cured school children and most of the cured household members had light infections.…”

“…It is relatively near the Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, and is a focus of S. mansoni infection. 10 The study was conducted in collaboration with the MOHP.…”