Schistosomiasis in the Dominican Republic. Detection of antibodies by radioimmunoassay
Hillyer, G.V.; Soler de Galanes, M.; Méndez-Silfa, A.
Boletin de la Asociacion Medica de Puerto Rico 78(11): 477-479
1986
ISSN/ISBN: 0004-4849 PMID: 3099805 Document Number: 700022
Serum samples obtained in 1983 from 500 patients attending the clinic at Salud de Hato Mayor and residing in Hato Mayor, Higuey and El Valle, were tested for antibodies to Schistosoma mansoni egg antigens, utilizing the subset of antigens involved in the circumoval precipitin reaction adapted to a solid phase radioimmunoassay (RIA). Total positivity rates were 4.8%, with Hato Mayor being lowest (3.5%), and El Valle and Higuey having rates of 5% and 6% resp. There were no significant differences between males and females (5.1% and 4.7%, resp.), but positivity rates were twice as high (5.6%) in adults as in children aged 1-9 years (2.8%). Moreover, in Hato Mayor, because only one serum sample of 142 tested in the 1-9 age group was positive, this study suggests that the local control efforts have effectively stopped transmission in this area and that serologic testing with high throughput systems such as RIA can be useful as a screening tool to evaluate changes where schistosomiasis is present at low prevalence and intensities of infection, as is the case in the Dominican Republic.