Cutaneous schistosomiasis in Nigeria. An update

Two patients with schistosomiasis of the skin were seen at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Kaduna, Northern Nigeria, between June 1978 and December 1980. The first case was not suspected on clinical grounds, but was diagnosed only after terminally-spined ova of Schistosoma haematobium were found in histological sections of the skin lesions. Both patients were successfully treated with niridazole (Ambilhar). These bring to eight the total number of cases of cutaneous schistosomiasis recorded in Nigeria in the past 40 years, four of which were in indigenous Nigerians. It seems that the high endemicity of the disease confers some degree of natural immunity to the indigenous population, making ectopic forms rare. Clinicians should be aware of the existence of cutaneous forms of the disease and of their excellent response to specific chemotherapy.