title: [Why compare hepatosplenic bilharziasis in six African countries with the help of ultrasonography? Presentation of a WHO project including Madagascar].
abstract: During a morbidity survey in two endemic foci of hepatosplenic schistosomiasis in the malagasy Hauts Plateaux (Tetikanana, 80 km East of Ambositra and Lohanosy, in the vicinity of Antananarivo), the objectives of a comparative pathology WHO project are presented. The survey in Madagascar was concurrently organized by the Ministry of Health (Bilharziasis central laboratory, DLMT), the Parasitology Unit of the local Pasteur Institute and the Medical Parasitology Institute of Bonn University, in Germany. This was the fourth part of this investigation of the morbidity variation due to Schistosoma mansoni infection in six african countries, a project sponsored by the WHO within its TDR programme. This comparison was based on the standardized description of morbidity as visualized by echography, following the "Cairo-1990" and the "Hannover-Managil-1989" classifications, and on coprology. One of the main objectives of this study was to demonstrate a morbidity variation at the scale of the African region (due to different S. mansoni strains or to a variable genetic background within the studied human populations), while participating to an international standardization effort for field echography. The project was conducted since July 1991 by a constant medical staff from Bonn and Hannover german universities. Eight foci in four african countries (Senegal, Mali, Uganda and Madagascar) are still analyzed and we are presenting here the first results. The data of an independent ultrasonographic investigation, organized by the Blair Institute and the Danish Bilharziasis Laboratory in Zimbabwe, was kindly proposed for this comparison. This project will end with the study of two supplementary foci in Tanzania and Burundi.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Parasitology, Université de Bonn, Allemagne.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hoffman
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Esterre
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Ravaoalimalala
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Traore
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Talla
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ndugwa
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gabone
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kadorff
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roux
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ehrich
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008270:Madagascar / Q000453:epidemiology; D009017:Morbidity; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014944:World Health Organization
vernacular_title: Pourquoi comparer la morbidité de la bilharziose hépatosplénique dans six pays africains à l'aide de l'échographie? Présentation d'un projet OMS incluant Madagascar.