Abstract:
Stability of Schistosoma mansoni egg excretion
was studied in 23 residents of a rural endemic area
in North-east Brazil where the over-all prevalence
rate was 87% and the peak geometric mean egg
excretion was 308 eggs/ml (Bell method) in the
10 to 14-year-old age group. Stool examinations
by the Kato method were performed for three to
four consecutive days each month for three consecutive
months. Both raw and transformed data
showed significant stability of S. mansoni egg
excretion from day to day and month to month in
this population. -A single Kato examination detected
68O/, of individuals who were excreting more
than 400 ‘eggs per gramme. Although S. &znsoni
egg excretion is stable over time, identifying
individuals with high egg excretion in endemic
populations requires sensitive quantitative methods.
