Age-Related Antibody Responses to Schistosomiasis haematobium in Treated and Untreated Patients Living in a Rural Community in Upper Egypt.

1Fahmy T Ali, 1Nabil A Saleh, 2Khaled R Elian, 3Adel R Abdul-Magueed and 2Safenaz S Arafa.

1Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, 2Clinical Immunology Laboratory, Ain Shams Specialized Hospital, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt and 3Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Benha, Egypt.

 

Antibody responses to S. haematobium were studied in relation to age and infection intensity in a rural endemic community. Forty-two young aged (8-10 yrs), 44 mild-aged (11-15yrs) school children and 60 adults (20-55yrs) suffering from active urinary bilharziasis were studied. Half of each age group was reinvestigated 6-months after treatment with praziquantel. None of the patients had evidence of other possible causes of renal affection. Their antibody profiles, glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and alpha-1-microglobulin (a1MG) were compared to that of 60 subjects, of age-matched, non-infected blood donors (20 for each age group). The recorded increased excretion of both GST and a1-MG was a reliable sensitive index that signalizes the existence of early tubular deterioration in urinary bilharzial patients especially the untreated young and mild aged children who are at risk of having tubular microproteinuria.