SECONDARY CUTANEOUS MANIFESTATIONS OF ACUTE SCHISTOSOMIASIS-MANSONI

The secondary cutaneous manifestations of the initial phase of schisto somiasis mansoni were studied in 34 patients who had been infected sim ultaneously in the same location. Sixteen of the patients developed an gioedema and/or urticaria, generally of short duration and of mild int ensity and usually about 30 days post-infection. There was no apparent association between the occurrence of these skin manifestations and t he patients' worm burdens, blood eosinophilias or areas of immediate r eaction to an intradermal inoculation with worm antigen. Other factors , particularly host immunological reactivity, are thought to be import ant elements in the genesis of the manifestations.