Spatial distribution of Schistosoma mansoni infection before and after chemotherapy with two praziquantel doses in a community of Pernambuco, Brazil.
Praziquantel chemotherapy has been the focus of the Schistosomiasis Control Program in Brazil for the past two decades. Nevertheless, information on the impact of selective chemotherapy against Schistosoma mansoni infection under the conditions confronted by the health teams in endemic municipalities remains scarce. This paper compares the spatial pattern of infection before and after treatment with either a 40 mg/kg or 60 mg/kg dose of praziquantel by determining the intensity of spatial cluster among patients at 180 and 360 days after treatment. The spatial-temporal distribution of egg-positive patients was analysed in a Geographic Information System using the kernel smoothing technique. While all patients became egg-negative after 21 days, 17.9% and 30.9% reverted to an egg-positive condition after 180 and 360 days, respectively. Both the prevalence and intensity of infection after treatment were significantly lower in the 60 mg/kg than in the 40 mg/kg treatment group. The higher intensity of the kernel in the 40 mg/kg group compared to the 60 mg/kg group, at both 180 and 360 days, reflects the higher number of reverted cases in the lower dose group. Auxiliary, preventive measures to control transmission should be integrated with chemotherapy to achieve a more enduring impact.
Galvão
Aline F
AF
Laboratório de Ecoepidemiologia e Controle da Esquistossomose e Geohelmintoses, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
Favre
Tereza C
TC
Guimarães
Ricardo J P S
RJ
Pereira
Ana P B
AP
Zani
Luciana C
LC
Felipe
Katariny T
KT
Domingues
Ana Lúcia C
AL
Carvalho
Omar S
OS
Barbosa
Constança S
CS
Pieri
Otávio S
OS
D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010270:Parasite Egg Count; D011223:Praziquantel / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015995:Prevalence; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012556:Schistosomicides / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D055815:Young Adult
D012556:Schistosomicides; D011223:Praziquantel