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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 29(1), 1980, pp. 54-61
Copyright © 1980 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Quantitative Egg Excretion and Work Capacity in a Gezira Population Infected with Schistosoma Mansoni*

M. A. Awad El Karim, K. J. Collins, J. R. Brotherhood, Caroline Doré, J. S. Weiner, M. Y. Sukkar, A. H. S. Omer AND M. A. Amin
MRC Environmental Physiology Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, England, and Departments of Community Medicine, Physiology, and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, P.O. Box 102, Khartoum, Sudan

Physiological responses to physical exercise were measured in 203 Sudanese villagers and cleaners of irrigation canals in order to assess the effect of Schistosoma mansoni infection on work capacity. The investigations were carried out on economically active males (18–45 years old) of Gezira villages, where no mass antischistosomal treatment or molluscicidal applications had been made. Before the physiological tests, all subjects received antimalarial prophylaxis (chloroquine phosphate). There was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.002) in maximum aerobic power output (
Figure 1
O2 max) between villagers and canal cleaners amounting to 18%. There was no such difference between noninfected villagers and villagers with light infection, but the impairment in physical working capacity became manifest when the pattern of intensity of infection changed from light (<1,000 eggs/g) to very heavy (>2,000 eggs/g). Age, body weight, stature, lean body mass, leg muscle volume, and nutritional status were similar for canal cleaners and villagers. However, the villagers had a significantly higher (P < 0.001) mean hemoglobin concentration compared to that of canal cleaners which would at least partly explain the difference in
Figure 2
O2 max. The results of this study provide quantitative evidence of the adverse effect of high levels of S. mansoni infection on physical working capacity.

Accepted for publication May 19, 1979.


* Address reprint requests to: Dr. K. J. Collins, MRC Environmental Physiology Unit (Annexe), 242 Pentonville Road, London N1 9LB, England.






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Copyright © 1980 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.