Schistosomiasis is prevalent in Nigeria, and the foremost pathogen is Schistosoma haematobium, which affects about 29 million people. Single dose of the drug praziquantel is often recommended for treatment but the efficacy has not been documented in certain regions. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the impact of single dose praziquantel treatment on S. haematobium infection among school children in an endemic community of South-Western Nigeria. Urine samples were collected from 434 school children and 10 ml was filtered through Nucleopore filter paper before examination for egg outputs by microscopy. The prevalence was 24.9% at pre-treatment. There was no statistically significant difference for the prevalence of infection between males (14.7%) and females (10.2%), although the mean egg count for the females (9.87) was significantly more (P < 0.05) than the males (6.06). At 6 and 12 months post-treatment there was 74.4% and 86.4% reduction in the mean egg count, respectively. Interestingly, an increased prevalence of infection from 2.1% at 6 months to 7.7% at 12 months post-treatment was observed, nonetheless the mean egg count was reduced to 0.27 at 12th month from 1.98 at 6 months post-treatment. Resurgence in the prevalence rate between 6 and 12 months post-treatment with praziquantel is herein reported and the need for a follow-up treatment in endemic areas for adequate impact on schistosomiasis control is discussed.
Child ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Microscopy ; Nigeria ; Ovum ; Praziquantel ; Prevalence ; Schistosoma haematobium ; Schistosoma ; Schistosomiasis

There is renewed interest in natural products as a starting point for discovery of drugs for schistosomiasis. Recent studies have shown that phytol reveals interesting in vivo and in vitro antischistosomal properties against Schistosoma mansoni adult worms. Here, we report the in vitro antischistosomal activity of phytol against Schistosoma haematobium juvenile and adult worms and alterations on the tegumental surface of the worms by means of scanning electron microscopy. The assay, which was carried out with 6 concentrations (25, 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150 μg/ml) of phytol, has shown a promising activity in a dose and time-dependent manner. There was a significant decline in the motility of the worms and a mortality rate of 100% was found at 48 hr after they had been exposed to phytol in the concentration of 150 μg/ml. Male worms were more susceptible. On the ultrastructural level, phytol also induced tegumental peeling, disintegration of tubercles and spines in addition to morphological disfiguring of the oral and ventral suckers. This report provides the first evidence that phytol is able to kill S. haematobium of different ages, and emphasizes that it is a promising natural product that could be used for development of a new schistosomicidal agent.
Adult* ; Biological Products ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques* ; Male ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Mortality ; Phytol* ; Schistosoma haematobium* ; Schistosoma mansoni ; Schistosoma* ; Schistosomiasis ; Spine

BACKGROUND: Schistosoma haematobium which causes urogenital schistosomiasis (UGS) is highly prevalent in African countries. Urine microscopy (UM) is the first-line diagnostic method of UGS. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a common method for screening many parasite infections primarily or alternatively. The present study established an in-house diagnostic system by ELISA and evaluated its diagnostic efficacy in comparison with UM for screening UGS in White Nile State, Republic of Sudan, 2011–2013. METHODS: A total of 490 participants were screened by UM or ELISA, and 149 by both. The in-house ELISA system was established employing soluble egg antigen of S. haematobium and the cut-off absorbance was set at 0.270. RESULTS: Of the 149 subjects, 58 participants (38.9%) were positive by UM, 119 (79.9%) were positive by ELISA and 82 (55.0%) showed consistently positive or negative results by both methods. The diagnostic sensitivity of ELISA was 94.8% and specificity was 29.7% based on UM results. The ELISA positive serum samples also cross-reacted with egg antigens of Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma japonicum. CONCLUSION: We have established in-house ELISA for screening serum immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibodies by employing soluble egg antigen of S. haematobium for diagnosis of UGS with 94.8% sensitivity and 29.7% specificity. The ELISA system can supplement the conventional diagnosis by UM.
Antibodies ; Diagnosis* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay* ; Immunoglobulins ; Mass Screening ; Methods ; Microscopy* ; Ovum ; Parasites ; Schistosoma haematobium* ; Schistosoma japonicum ; Schistosoma mansoni ; Schistosoma* ; Schistosomiasis haematobia ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sudan

There have been some reports on schistosomiasis of school children in Sudan’s Nile River basin area; however, information about the infection status of Schistosoma species and intestinal helminths among village residents of this area is very limited. Urine and stool samples were collected from the 1,138 residents of the Al Hidaib and Khour Ajwal villages of White Nile State, Sudan in 2014. The prevalence of overall schistosomiasis and intestinal helminthiasis was 36.3% and 7.7%, respectively. Egg positive rates were 35.6% for Schistosoma haematobium, 2.6% for S. mansoni, and 1.4% were mixed. The prevalence of schistosomiasis was significantly higher in men (45.6%) than in women (32.0%), in Khou Ajwal villagers (39.4%) than in Al Hidaib villagers (19.2%), and for age groups ≤15 years old (51.5%) than for age groups >15 years old (13.2%). The average number of eggs per 10 ml urine (EP10) of S. haematobium infections was 18.9, with 22.2 eggs in men vs 17.0 in women and 20.4 in Khou Ajwal villagers vs 8.1 in Al Hidaib villagers. In addition to S. mansoni eggs, 4 different species of intestinal helminths were found in the stool, including Hymenolepis nana (6.6%) and H. diminuta (1.0%). Collectively, urinary schistosomiasis is still prevalent among village residents in Sudan’s White Nile River basin and was especially high in men, children ≤15 years, and in the village without a clean water system. H. nana was the most frequently detected intestinal helminths in the 2 villages.
Child ; Eggs ; Female ; Helminthiasis ; Helminths ; Humans ; Hymenolepis nana ; Male ; Ovum ; Prevalence ; Rivers ; Schistosoma ; Schistosoma haematobium ; Schistosoma mansoni ; Schistosomiasis haematobia ; Schistosomiasis ; Sudan ; Water

Schistosoma haematobium is one of the most prevalent parasitic flatworms, infecting over 112 million people in Africa. However, little is known about the genetic diversity of natural S. haematobium populations from the human host because of the inaccessible location of adult worms in the host. We used 4 microsatellite loci to genotype individually pooled S. haematobium eggs directly from each patient sampled at 4 endemic locations in Africa. We found that the average allele number of individuals from Mali was significantly higher than that from Nigeria. In addition, no significant difference in allelic composition was detected among the populations within Nigeria; however, the allelic composition was significantly different between Mali and Nigeria populations. This study demonstrated a high level of genetic variability of S. haematobium in the populations from Mali and Nigeria, the 2 major African endemic countries, suggesting that geographical population differentiation may occur in the regions.
Adolescent ; Animals ; Child ; Female ; *Genetic Variation ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Mali ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Nigeria ; Schistosoma haematobium/*classification/*genetics/isolation & purification ; Schistosomiasis haematobia/*parasitology

Schistosoma haematobium is one of the most prevalent parasitic flatworms, infecting over 112 million people in Africa. However, little is known about the genetic diversity of natural S. haematobium populations from the human host because of the inaccessible location of adult worms in the host. We used 4 microsatellite loci to genotype individually pooled S. haematobium eggs directly from each patient sampled at 4 endemic locations in Africa. We found that the average allele number of individuals from Mali was significantly higher than that from Nigeria. In addition, no significant difference in allelic composition was detected among the populations within Nigeria; however, the allelic composition was significantly different between Mali and Nigeria populations. This study demonstrated a high level of genetic variability of S. haematobium in the populations from Mali and Nigeria, the 2 major African endemic countries, suggesting that geographical population differentiation may occur in the regions.
Adolescent ; Animals ; Child ; Female ; *Genetic Variation ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Mali ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Nigeria ; Schistosoma haematobium/*classification/*genetics/isolation & purification ; Schistosomiasis haematobia/*parasitology

Dermoid cysts or mature cystic teratoma are the most common type of ovarian germ cell tumor. It may be complicated by torsion, rupture, chemical peritonitis and malignant change but is rarely complicated by infection. We present a case of an ovarian dermoid cyst with super-infection caused by Schistosoma haematobium (S. haematobium). We present here a case of incidental finding of S. haematobium eggs in an infected cystic teratoma of the ovary because of the rare occurrence of this lesion. A 45-year-old Moroccan woman admitted to the gynecological department because of abdominal pain and fever. Gynecological examination, ultrasonography, and abdominopelvic computed tomography scan revealed an ovarian mass thought to be a dermoid cyst. The pathological evaluation suggested infected ovarian dermoid cyst with the presence of adult worm in the tumor, contains same eggs of S. haematobium. Super-infection of an ovarian dermoid cyst is a rare event, and the association with S. haematobium is extremely rare in the literature.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Dermoid Cyst* ; Eggs ; Female ; Fever ; Gynecological Examination ; Humans ; Incidental Findings ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Ovary ; Ovum ; Peritonitis ; Rupture ; Schistosoma haematobium ; Teratoma ; Ultrasonography

Schistosoma haematobium is a biocarcinogen of human urinary bladder (UB). The present study investigated developing UB cancer mouse model by injecting S. haematobium eggs into the bladder wall and introduction of chemical carcinogens. Histopathological findings showed mild hyperplasia to epithelial vacuolar change, and high grade dysplasia. Squamous metaplasia was observed in the S. haematobium eggs+NDMA group at week 12 but not in other groups. Immunohistochemistry revealed significantly high expression of Ki-67 in urothelial epithelial cells of the S. haematobium eggs+BBN group at week 20. The qRT-PCR showed high expression of p53 gene in S. haematobium eggs group at week 4 and S. haematobium eggs+BBN group at week 20. E-cadherin and vimentin showed contrasting expression in S. haematobium eggs+BBN group. Such inverse expression of E-cadherin and vimentin may indicate epithelial mesenchymal transition in the UB tissue. In conclusion, S. haematobium eggs and nitrosamines may transform UB cells into squamous metaplasia and dysplasia in correlation with increased expression of Ki-67. Marked decrease in E-cadherin and increase in p53 and vimentin expressions may support the transformation. The present study introduces a promising modified animal model for UB cancer study using S. haematobium eggs.
Animals ; Cadherins ; Carcinogens ; Dimethylnitrosamine ; Eggs* ; Epithelial Cells ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Genes, p53 ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Immunohistochemistry ; Metaplasia ; Mice* ; Models, Animal ; Nitrosamines ; Ovum* ; Schistosoma haematobium* ; Schistosoma* ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; Urinary Bladder* ; Vimentin

The genetic diversity of Schistosoma haematobium remains largely unstudied in comparison to that of Schistosoma mansoni. To characterize the extent of genetic diversity in S. haematobium among its definitive host (humans), we collected S. haematobium eggs from the urine of 73 infected schoolchildren at 5 primary schools in White Nile State, Sudan, and then performed a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA marker ITS2 by PCR-RFLP analysis. Among 73 S. haematobium egg-positive cases, 13 were selected based on the presence of the S. haematobium satellite markers A4 and B2 in their genomic DNA, and used for RFLP analysis. The 13 samples were subjected to an RFLP analysis of the S. haematobium ITS2 region; however, there was no variation in size among the fragments. Compared to the ITS2 sequences obtained for S. haematobium from Kenya, the nucleotide sequences of the ITS2 regions of S. haematobium from 4 areas in Sudan were consistent with those from Kenya (> 99%). In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that most of the S. haematobium population in Sudan consists of a pan-African S. haematobium genotype; however, we also report the discovery of Kenyan strain inflow into White Nile, Sudan.
Adolescent ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Child ; DNA, Helminth/genetics ; Female ; *Genetic Variation ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Ovum/classification/cytology ; Parasite Egg Count ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Schistosoma haematobium/*genetics/*isolation & purification/physiology ; Schistosomiasis haematobia/diagnosis/epidemiology/*parasitology/urine ; Students ; Sudan/epidemiology ; Urine/*parasitology

It has been clarified that chronic infection with viruses such as hepatitis B virus, bacteria such as Helicobacter pylori and parasites contribute to carcinogenesis in human. Three helminth infections have been classified as definitely carcinogenic to humans (group I carcinogens), namely Schistosoma haematobium, which is associated with urinary bladder cancer and liver flukes Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis viverrini associated with cholangiocarcinoma of the liver. Opisthorchis viverrini which has been extensively studied the association with cholangiocarcinoma is endemic in Southeast Asian countries including Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Clonorchis sinensis infection which is common in rural areas of Korea and China has also been reported its definite association with cholangiocarcinoma. Carcinogenesis associated with liver flukes infections is a complex process hard to be studied because of long latency period and numerous other factors can play a role although chronic inflammation has been known as a key feature. Mechanical injury from the activities of migrating and sucking flukes contributes to biliary damage and chronic inflammation. The liver fluke also secretes or excretes metabolic products, some of which are highly immunogenic, toxic and promoting biliary epithelial cell proliferation. Host immune responses and immunopathological processes are also likely associated with chronic inflammation and carcinogenesis. Escape from host anti-tumor immune response and shift to Th2 response of Th1-Th2 balance are related with carcinogenesis. Biliary cell and its DNA damage can be induced by oxygen free radicals such as nitric oxide released from effector cells activated by inflammatory cytokines. Exogenous carcinogen suchas nitrosamine seemed also closely related with cholangiocarcinoma development in liver fluke infected individuals. In this paper, various and stepwise mechanisms of carcinogenesis by liver flukes and its potential targets can be intervene were reviewed.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bacteria ; Cambodia ; China ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Clonorchis sinensis ; Cytokines ; DNA Damage ; Epithelial Cells ; Fasciola hepatica ; Free Radicals ; Helicobacter pylori ; Helminths ; Hepatitis B virus ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Korea ; Latency Period (Psychology) ; Liver ; Nitric Oxide ; Opisthorchis ; Oxygen ; Parasites ; Schistosoma haematobium ; Th1-Th2 Balance ; Thailand ; Trematoda ; United Nations ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; Vietnam