Echinococcosis in Egypt: IV. Serology on patients with chest problems

Patients complaining of chest disorders were clinically and serologically examined for evidence of echinococcal infection. Serologically, the patients were screened by the indirect haemagglutination test and reactors were confirmed by the bentonite flocculation and/or latex-agglutination tests. Of 755 patients 6.2 percent had echinococcal antibodies in their sera. Of 393 patients given a chest radiography one patient (0.25%) had distinct pulmonary hydatid cysts. The bentonite flocculation technique picked more of the positives (91.5%) than did the latex-agglutination (14.9%) technique. Females were more exposed to echinococcal infection (8.4%) than males (2.3%). Among positives, 71-75 per cent were below thirty years old. Prevalence of infection was higher among individuals having direct contact with dogs (4.6%) than among individuals with no direct contact with dogs (3.2%). Evidently cross-reactions between the echinococcal antigen and antibodies of some bacterial and parasitic infections including schistosomiasis interfere with the haemagglutination test results.