This paper reports an outbreak of acute schistosomiasis among 38 tourists who rented a country house in the
district of Igarapé, the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, during a holiday period in 2006. A total
number of 32 individuals were positive for
Schistosoma mansoni
. Results of stool examinations revealed individual
S.
mansoni egg counts per gram of faeces (epg) ranging from 4-768 epg with a geometric mean egg count of 45. The
most frequent clinical symptoms were abdominal pain (78.1%), headache (75%), fever (65.6%), dry cough (65.2%)
and both diarrhoea and asthenia (59.4%). A malacological survey of the area, where 22 specimens of
Biomphalaria glabrata
were collected, revealed three (13.6%) specimens eliminating Schistosoma cercariae. This investigation
re-confirms a recently described pattern of schistosomiasis infection, resulting in the acute form of the disease
and connected to rural tourism, which contributes to the spread of the disease among the middle-class and into
non-endemic areas. The lack of specific knowledge about acute schistosomiasis among health services causes an
increased number of unnecessary diagnostic procedures and delays in accurate diagnosis and treatment, resulting
in considerable discomfort for the patients.
