A study of cirrhosis of the liver in (A) adult and (B) juvenile Africans

Schistosomal infestation of the liver especially in the juvenile African, but less frequently in the adult, should be accepted as an important cause of cirrhosis. The diagnosis is best made by a needle biopsy of the organ. Almost always it is the intestinal parasite—Schistosoma mansoni which is responsible through ovideposition. The pathological changes are mainly confined to the portal tracts in which a granulomatous process is induced. If a needle biopsy is positive the chances are that the liver is diffusely infiltrated by ova.