[Bilharziasis in Martinique (author's transl)].

A study of 4,600 sera by means of a micro-method of complement fixation with a delipidated antigen allowed to evaluate the significance of intestinal bilharziosis at la Martinique and to precise its geographical distribution in the various areas of the island. The mean infestation ratio (about 27 0/0) is much higher than that obtained with parasitologic techniques; it confirms the great sensitivity of immunological methods and the high percentage of infested people in these areas. On the other hand the study of infestation ratio in the various places shows the role played by the hydrographic system and its relationship with the habitat: a fundamental opposition is observed between two areas: the North of the island, which is damp, with many rivers and highly infested, and the South, dry, with a much lower infestation ratio.