ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2024
Female genital schistosomiasis burden and risk factors in two endemic areas in Malawi nested in the Morbidity Operational Research for Bilharziasis Implementation Decisions (MORBID) cross-sectional study.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- SCORE Studies on the Impact of Drug Treatment on Morbidity due toThe American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2020Pooled it
- Association Between Female Genital Schistosomiasis and High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Among Women of Reproductive Age in Zambia: The Schista Study.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2026Article
- Prevalence and associated risk factors of self-reported symptoms suggestive of female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) among women in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Sex-specific presentation, epidemiology, and control of schistosomiasis in women and adolescent girls.The Lancet. Global health · 2026Review
- IL-17A and IFN-α associated with female genital schistosomiasis lesions.BMC immunology · 2026Article
- Diagnosis and treatment of female genital schistosomiasis.The Lancet. Microbe · 2026Review
- Determining spatio-temporal distribution and hotspots for female schistosomiasis in Ghana, 2020-2024: a call for increased public health action against a neglected tropical disease.Infectious diseases of poverty · 2026Article
- Comparative evaluation of Sm1-7-qPCR systems incorporated with Maxwell kit-based and NaOH-based DNA extraction methods for the detection of Schistosoma mansoni infection.Infectious diseases of poverty · 2026Article
- The burden and risk factors of female genital schistosomiasis in two schistosomiasis-endemic states of Nigeria.International health · 2025Article
- Microscopic detection and genetic characterization of schistosome eggs within cervicovaginal lavage sediments from cases of female genital schistosomiasis.Parasitology · 2025Article
- Visual diagnostics for female genital schistosomiasis and the opportunity for improvement using computer vision.Parasitology · 2025Review
- An investigation of female genital schistosomiasis and associated genital infections in Southern Malawi.Parasitology · 2025Article
- Schistosoma haematobium infection is associated with oncogenic gene expression in Cervical Mucosa, with enhanced effects following treatment: A pilot study.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- The burden of visually diagnosed female genital schistosomiasis among women with infertility in the Volta Region of Ghana.Tropical medicine and health · 2025Article
- Insights into the State of the Art of Urogenital Schistosomiasis with a Focus on Infertility.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2024Review
- Time to bring female genital schistosomiasis out of neglect.British medical bulletin · 2024Article
- Defining elimination as a public health problem for schistosomiasis control programmes: beyond prevalence of heavy-intensity infections.The Lancet. Global health · 2022Review
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12 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundFemale genital schistosomiasis (FGS), caused by the parasite Schistosoma haematobium (Sh), is prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa. FGS is associated with sexual dysfunction and reproductive morbidity, and increased prevalence of HIV and cervical precancerous lesions. Lack of approved guidelines for FGS screening and diagnosis hinder accurate disease burden estimation. This study evaluated FGS burden in two Sh-endemic areas in Southern Malawi by visual and molecular diagnostic methods. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
findingsWomen aged 15-65, sexually active, not menstruating, or pregnant, were enrolled from the MORBID study. A midwife completed a questionnaire, obtained cervicovaginal swab and lavage, and assessed FGS-associated genital lesions using hand-held colposcopy. 'Visual-FGS' was defined as specific genital lesions. 'Molecular-FGS' was defined as Sh DNA detected by real-time PCR from swabs. Microscopy detected urinary Sh egg-patent infection. In total, 950 women completed the questionnaire (median age 27, [IQR] 20-38). Visual-and molecular-FGS prevalence were 26·9% (260/967) and 8·2% (78/942), respectively. 6·5% of women with available genital and urinary samples (38/584) had egg-patent Sh infection. There was a positive significant association between molecular- and visual-FGS (AOR = 2·9, 95%CI 1·7-5·0). 'Molecular-FGS' was associated with egg-patent Sh infection (AOR = 7·5, 95% CI 3·27-17·2). Some villages had high 'molecular-FGS' prevalence, despite <10% prevalence of urinary Sh among school-age children. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Southern Malawi carries an under-recognized FGS burden. FGS was detectable in villages not eligible for schistosomiasis control strategies, potentially leaving girls and women untreated under current WHO guidelines. Validated field-deployable methods could be considered for new control strategies.
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