title: [Epidemics of schistosomiasis in military staff assigned to endemic areas: standard diagnostic techniques and the development of real-time PCR techniques].
abstract: The authors report the results of molecular biology techniques for the early diagnosis of cases (invasion phase) of schistosomiasis during two epidemics occurring during French military projects in the Central African Republic and Madagascar. The use of these techniques in real time for subjects not residing in the endemic area significantly improves the sensitivity of screening. The attack rates of these episodes, according to a case definition that took positive specific PCR results into account, were 59% and 26%. These results are a concrete illustration of the proverb that "yaws begin where the trail stops".
authors.affiliation: Fédération des laboratoires, HIA Robert Picqué, 351 route de Toulouse, CS 80002, 33882 Villenave d'Ornon Cedex.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Biance-Valero
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Laval
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delerue
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Savini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cheinin
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Leroy
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Soullié
mesh_terms: D019353:Endemic Diseases; D006801:Humans; D008889:Military Personnel; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012552:Schistosomiasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: epidemic; overseas missions; real-time PCR; schistosomiasis