QUANTITATIVE INTERPRETATION OF COPROCULTURES IN A POPULATION INFECTEDWITH OESOPHAGOSTOMUM-BIFURCUM

Coproculture is used in northern Togo and Ghana in the research on Oes ophagostomum bifurcum, a common parasite of man in these regions, Prio r to a follow-up study to investigate patterns of reinfection in Oesop hagostomum and hookworm, it was attempted to evaluate the relevance of counting larvae for the assessment of the intensity of infection at t he population level. Of 102 samples, one egg count (Kato-smear) and th ree coprocultures were carried out. Frequency distributions of counts of larvae of Oesophagostomum and of hookworm isolated in three coprocu ltures, showed log-normality. There was a highly significant correlati on between egg counts and the combined number of Oesophagostomum and h ookworm larvae (Spearman rank correlation test, r=0.74, p<0.01). It is concluded that the mean larval counts of three coprocultures can be i nterpreted quantitatively, as normally done for egg counts. A quantita tive classification of larval counts is proposed.