Aim: To explore the family aggregation of advanced schistosomiasis japonica.
Methods: Eighty-one cases of advanced schistosomiasis(AS) and 67 cases of non-advanced schistosomiasis with history of infections in Yushan County, Jiangxi Province were chosen as proband groups and control groups respectively, then grades 1 and 2 relatives of them were investigated on AS. Family aggregation of AS was analyzed through comparing the prevalence rate between the close and distant relatives of probands and controls and fitting the observed distribution of AS cases among the population by zero-truncated Poisson distribution and zero-truncated negative binomial distribution.
Results: The prevalence rate was higher in the close relatives (Group I relatives) of the probands than in the distant relatives(Group II relatives) of the probands and in the controls' relatives. The observed distribution of AS was beyond the probability of the zero-truncated Poisson distribution, but consistent with the zero-truncated negative binomial distribution.
Conclusion: Family aggregation of advanced schistosomiasis does exist.