Research on urogeneital schistosomisasis

Research on urogeneital schistosomisasis from the Parasite Epidemiology group led by Dr Francisca Mutapi, based in the Institute of Immunology and Infection Research was featured in the May 2014 newsletter of the African Paediatric Infectious Diseases Society.

The article features the work of PhD student Welcome Mkululi Wami, which focuses on developing statistical models to explore the interaction between exposure and pathology associated with infection with Schistosoma haematobium, the organism that causes urogeneital schistosomiasis.

The research sought to determine if the dynamics of urogenital schistosome infection and morbidity in pre-school aged children were comparable to those reported in primary schoolchildren and relate their findings to the current World Health Organization (WHO) recommended treatment regimens.

It was shown that there is widespread S. haematobium infection levels among preschool children, emphasising the need for their inclusion in schistosomiasis control programmes. In addition the importance of developing sensitive infection diagnostic tools since accurate determination of patient infection levels has critical bearing on the required treatment regimen for the study population were highlighted. These findings are crucial for refinement and improvement of current schistosomiasis intervention strategies.