Schisto group,
In connection with Christopher Bayne's interest in schisto infections among
schisto research workers, though I'm too late for the sample pool, I offer
myself as another datum point in the negative column. I worked for nearly
4 years as a technician in the early '60's at the Walter Reed Army Inst. of
Rsch in the Dept.of Medical Zoology under Dr. Elvio Sadun and John Bruce on
developing a flourescent-antibody survey test for schistosomiasis utilizing
whole cercariae. I was in charge of maintaining S. mansoni in the lab
as well as coordinating an epidemiological WHO project in Ethiopia in which I
tested thousands of blood samples (saline-extracted from dried samples
collected in the field on blotter paper) for antibodies to schistosomes.
In working with the live cercariae preparing the flourescein-labelled
antigen, I took standard precautions (rubber gloves and long sleeves). My only
exposure to viable cercariae of which I was aware occurred when I was splashed
on my wrist while assisting a worker exposing a monkey to the organism. Over
time, I did test weakly positive on the FA test for schisto and I discovered a
chronic eosinophilia along with some fatigue awhile afterward, but was
stool-neg.for ova.The blood finding and fatigue were attributed to allergies I
developed to lab animals. These anomalies disappeared when I left Walter Reed
and I have not experienced any symptoms since then.
I seem to recall (don't hold me too critically to these details) that one of
our workers prior to my association with WRAIR became infected and could not
explain it. The puzzle was solved some time later when he was showing
photographs of himself with some locals horsing around in an open fountain in
front of the School of Tropical Medicine in San Juan, where he was attending a
conference. He was informed that it had recently been discovered that the
fountain was found to harbor a resident snail and cercariae population which was
accounting for a pocket of unexplained mansoni infections in the area.
I enjoy hearing from you,
Jay Chamblin
Dr.Christoph G.Grevelding Tel.:(49)-211-81-13070
Genetic Parasitology Fax :(49)-211-81-12333
Institute of Genetic & (49)-211-81-12279
Center for Biological and Medical Research
Heinrich-Heine-Universitaet
Universitaetsstrasse 1
40225 Duesseldorf
e-mail: Christoph.Grevelding at uni-duesseldorf.dehttp://www.uni-duesseldorf.de/WWW/MathNat/
Parasitologie/gen_para.htm
