EARLY DETECTION OF CIRCULATING ANODIC ANTIGEN (CAA) IN A CASE OF ACUTE SCHISTOSOMIASIS-MANSONI WITH KATAYAMA FEVER

A 34-year-old male developed acute Katayama fever with fever, diarrhoea, joint pains, headache, urticarial rash and eosinophilia 18 days after failing into and spending 15 min in the water during water-skiing in the outlet of the Volta river. Low anti-schistosomal antibody titres were found by the immunofluorescence assay after 4 weeks, and the first Schistosoma mansoni eggs were found in faeces after 6 weeks. Both symptoms and eosinophilia increased the first days after treatment with oxamniquine, after which he improved gradually. Examination of frozen sera by the newly developed Magnetic Beads Antigen Capture-EIA (MBAC-EIA) later demonstrated a peak in schistosomal circulating anodic antigen (CAA) levels of diagnostic significance already 4 weeks after he was infected.