Abstract
Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) is a common condition of infection with Schistosoma haematobium. Schistosome eggs of different species have been found in Papanicolaou-stained (Pap) smears either accidentally by the examination of cytological material obtained during screening for cervical malignancy or in patients suspected of having FGS. To assess whether Pap smears may substitute for the examination of cervical tissue a study was conducted with 51 women aged 15-47 years who excreted S. haematobium eggs in urine and presented with various symptoms at Mangochi District Hospital near Lake Malawi Malawi. The biopsy was examined using the quantitative fresh compressed biopsy technique (QCBT) which is derived from a procedure developed for the assessment of cure in intestinal schistosomiasis and which has been successfully applied to biopsies taken from the cervix the vagina and the vulva. Overall results demonstrated that endo/ectocervical smears especially Pap smears cannot substitute for the QCBT in diagnosing FGS. However considering the epithelial atypias frequently associated with genital schistosomiasis endo/exocervical Pap smears are a useful complementary examination in women suspected of having schistosomiasis of the lower reproductive tract.
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