Schistosomal glomerulopathy: a putative role for commonly associated Salmonella infection

A total of 190 patients were selected after being subjected to hemoculture for detecting Salmonella spp, coproscopy for Schistosoma mansoni eggs and ELISA testing for anti schistosomal sero-reactivity. They made up 4 group; The first comprised 31 febrile patients with positive hemoculture, coproscopy and ELISA, 13 of them with hepatic fibrosis and received combined anti- typhoid and antibilharzial therapy. The second comprised 53 febrile patient with the same criteria; 18 with hepatic fibrosis, and received anti typhoid & antibilharzial alternatively. The third group comprised 46 febrile patients with positive hemoculture and negative coproscopy but with positive ELISA 20 were hepatosplenic & received anti typhoid treatment. The fourth comprised 60 afebrile patients with negative hemoculture and positive coproscopy and ELISA 35 were hepatosplenic, and received anti-bilharzial treatment. 50 healthy individuals were selected as control. The controls and the patients; before and after treatment underwent investigation for determining levels of serum complement3 as a marker of immune complex precipitation activity and creatinine clearance, and urinary proteins excretion in 24 hours as measurements of glomerular function. The specific treatment either combined or alternative or single in the first 3 groups consequently showed marked improvement in the above criteria with insignificant additive pattern in the second. The fourth group showed non-significant difference in the above criteria after anti-bilharzial therapy among the hepatosplenic, meanwhile it improved these criteria significantly among the non-hepatosplenic--in the four groups--whose criteria were significantly higher than among the hepatosplenic before treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)