In the Assiut, Egypt Epidemiology 1, 2, 3 investigation, a sample of 14,204 persons in 10 villages, 31 ezbas (satellite communities), and 2,286 households was drawn from a rural population of 1,598,607. Parasitologic examination of urine and stool were made for Schistosoma haematobium and S. mansoni, and physical and ultrasound examinations were made on a 20% subsample. The overall estimated prevalence of S. haematobium was 5.2 Ϯ 0.5 (Ϯ SE). This varied considerably by village and ezba, ranging from 1.5% to 20.9%, with ezbas having a slightly higher overall prevalence than villages. The overall estimated geometric mean egg count was 6.6 Ϯ 0.5 eggs per 10 ml of urine and was consistently low throughout the communities. Infection with S. haematobium was associated with age (peak prevalence of 10.6 Ϯ 1.5% in 15-19-year-old age group) males, children playing in the canals, a history of blood in the urine, and reagent strip positivity for hematuria and proteinuria. The prevalence of either hepatomegaly or splenomegaly detected by physical examination was low (4.0% and 1.5%, respectively). The prevalence of hepatomegaly determined by ultrasonography was substantially higher, 24.1%. The prevalence of periportal fibrosis (PPF) was 12.0%, but grade II or III PPF was present in less than 1%. Ultrasonography-determined hepatomegaly, in both the midclavicular line and the midsternal line, increased by age to more than 30%. Periportal fibrosis was more common in the age groups in which infection rates were the highest. At the village and ezba level of analysis, the prevalence of hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, and PPF tended to be higher in communities having the highest prevalence of infection with S. haematobium.

Coprological surveys on animal and human fascioliasis were performed in Qena, a governorate located in Upper Egypt. Animal and human stool samples were collected from four localities: Abu-Tesht, Qena, Armant, and Isna. A total of 297 stool samples from different animals were examined. These samples are (105 cows, 163 buffaloes and 29 sheep). The overall prevalence was 30.3% and including 28.6% in cows, 33.7% in buffaloes, and 17.2% in sheep. These differences in prevalences between definitive hosts were not significant. However, prevalences were significantly different among localities, these values being lower in Qena (7.6%) and Armant (18.2%) than in Abu-Tesht (54.7%) and Isna (42.6%). No fasciolid egg was found in human examined stool samples from the same localities.

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Both light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used in the description. There were variable measurements of eggs from the same fluke and there was no relationship between the size of the fluke and size of eggs. Light microscopy revealed that the operculum has different shapes in Fasciola gigantica and F. hepatica. Under normal laboratory conditions of temperature (26 ± 1 °C), miracidia of F. gigantica developed within 12-16 days period, but those of F. hepatica developed within a period of 13-15 days. The miracidia of F. gigantica measured 110 × 70 μm and that of F. hepatica measured 136 × 74 μm. The life span of the miracidium in F. gigantica ranged between 9 and 12 h, while in F. hepatica the life span did not exceed 10 h. Miracidial epidermal plates in miracidium of F. gigantica were found to be 20 plates arranged in four tiers of six, four, six and four. Hatching process was recorded using scanning electron microscope, and it indicated partially opened operculum.

Experimental infection trails of Lymnaea (cailliaudi) natalensis snails with miracidia of Fasciola hepatica revealed neither cercariae nor larval stages shed. Infection of white mice with metacercariae from field-collected snails proved to be negative for Fasciola eggs and immature juveniles or adults after 84 days post infection. The infection of eight rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has succeeded; two rabbits were infected, with a very low infection rate. Faeces of rabbits were negative for eggs. The worm burden was one and three worms from 40 fed metacercariae. The obtained fluke measures 23 mm in length by 4 mm in width. The tegument is covered with sharp-ending spines. The uterus contains few eggs. The intrauterine eggs measured 158 microm x 80 microm. According to the morphological characters of these flukes, they belong to F. gigantica.

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Cystic echinococcosis has been considered one of the major parasitic zoonoses which is associated with severe economic losses. The present study was undertaken to investigate the occurrence, organ distribution, cyst fertility, and viability of cystic echinococcosis in slaughtered camels and cattle from various abattoirs in Assiut Governorate, Egypt. The work also involved morphological, morphometric, and molecular identification of the parasite. The occurrence of hydatid cysts was investigated in total number of 100 lungs of camels and 574 liver and lungs of cattle admitted to three slaughterhouses at Assiut Governorate, Egypt. Moreover, several individual variable factors, including organ involvement, age, sex, and hydatid cyst characteristics, were studied to identify their possible association with the occurrence of the disease. Genomic DNA was extracted from the hydatid cysts, followed by molecular identification of the parasite through amplification of ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. Hydatid cysts were found in 6 camels (6%) out of 100 inspected camels, while 5 hydatid cysts (0.87%) were detected in a total number of 574 cattle examined. The parasite was detected exclusively in lungs of camels, while lungs were the main organ infected by the parasite in cattle and one hydatid cyst was found in the liver (0.17%). In camel, 66.7, 16.65, and 16.65%of detected cysts were fertile, sterile, and calcified, respectively, while in cattle, these percentages were 60, 20, and 20%, respectively. None of the studied variable factors were significantly associated with the occurrence of the disease in camels, with the exception that all cysts were found in the lung. Conversely, we found a significant association (P < 0.05) between the age and sex of the slaughtered cattle and the occurrence of hydatid cysts. In this respect, the rate of infection was higher in female cattle and those cattle more than 5 years (P < 0.05). The morphological, morphometric, and molecular studies confirmed the presence of the parasite. Taken together, our results concluded that camels and cattle play a potential role in maintaining the transmission cycle of this zoonotic parasite.

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