The indirect fluorescent antibody test for seroepidemiological studies in schistosomiasis in East Africa.

In a schistosomiasis endemic area two populations, one predominantly infected with S. haematobium and the other with S. mansoni, were examined with the IFAT using juxtaposed S. haematobium and S. mansoni antigen and with parasitological methods. In both populations: ---the serological prevalence was higher than the parasitological prevalence, ---a positive correlation was found betwen titre and egg output, ---focal fluorescence in antigen sections, which is a sign of a young infection, was found mainly in the younger age classes, ---the mean titre was higher for the homologous antigen but this preference was negligable in the population from the S. mansoni area.