A study to determine the prevalence and intensity of vesical schistosomiasis and concomitant
bacterial infection in six communities in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State is reported. Centrifuge
concentration technique for the examination of
Schistosoma haematobium
ova was employed. Out of the 838
persons examined, 350 (41.8%) were infected with
S. haematobium. Of the 430 males and 408 females examined,
175 (40.7%) and 175 (42.9%) were infected respectively. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of
infection amongst the sexes (X
2 = 1.19; df = 1; P> 0.05). Over 60% of the infected persons are aged 0 – 20 years.
Statistical analysis revealed that the prevalence (X
2 = 16.65; df = 6, P< 0.05) and intensity (t = 7.02; df = 6, P<
0.05) were significantly more in persons under the age of 20 years than those above 20 years. Sixty – four (18.3%)
of the infected persons were excreting < 50 eggs/10ml urine while 286 (81.7%) were excreting > 50 eggs/10ml
urine. Visible haematuria increased with intensity of infection. Farmers were significantly (X
2 = 9.82, df = 4; P<
0.05) more affected than other occupational groups examined. Of the 350 persons examined, 44 (22.6%) had
significant bacteriuria. The rate of significant bacteriuria increased with age in both sexes. Statistically, there was a
significant difference (X
2 = 9.09; df = 1; P< 0.05) in the occurrence of significant bacteriuria among the sexes.
The bacterial organisms isolated are:
Salmonella
(2.3%),
Staphylococcus aureus
(2.0%),
Klebsiella
spp (1.1%),
Escherichia coli
(5.7%),
Proteus
spp (0.9%) and
Pseudomonas
spp (0.6%).
