CGPH FACULTY: Robert Spear
DATE OF PUBLICATION: May 2010
REGION: Asia
REFERENCE: Carlton EJ, Hsiang M, Zhang Y, Johnson S, Hubbard A, Spear RC. The impact of Schistosoma japonicum infection and treatment on ultrasound-detectable morbidity: a five-year cohort study in Southwest China. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2010 May 18;4(5):e685. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0000685.
SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Ultrasonography allows for non-invasive examination of the liver and spleen and can further our understanding of schistosomiasis morbidity. We followed 578 people in Southwest China for up to five years. Participants were tested for Schistosoma japonicum infection in stool and seven standard measures of the liver and spleen were obtained using ultrasound to evaluate the relationship between schistosomiasis infection and ultrasound-detectable pathology, and the impact of targeted treatment on morbidity. Parenchymal fibrosis is an appropriate measure of S. japonicum morbidity and can document reductions in disease following control efforts. Other ultrasound measures may have limited epidemiological value in regions with similar infection levels. Because severe fibrosis may not reverse quickly following treatment, efforts to reduce exposure to S. japonicum should be considered in combination with treatment to prevent schistosomiasis morbidity
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