Schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis.

Pulmonary schistosomiasis.

Schistosoma infection is one of the most common infectious diseases, limited in the past only to the endemic countries. With the enormous increase in migration and travel, we encounter more and more cases in developed, nonendemic countries. Although the disease has been known for many years from studies in the endemic countries, the new patient population of nonimmune travelers presents with a ...

Hepatobiliary Schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis is an ancient parasitic disease that has afflicted Egyptians since the time of the pharaohs. The disease is caused by lodged schistosome eggs in the host liver, evoking an immune response and leading in some patients to the development of hepatic granuloma and fibrosis. Here, we review the epidemiology, immunopathogenesis, and clinical profile of schistosomiasis. This informatio...

Human schistosomiasis.

Schistosomiasis or bilharzia is a tropical disease caused by worms of the genus Schistosoma. The transmission cycle requires contamination of surface water by excreta, specific freshwater snails as intermediate hosts, and human water contact. The main disease-causing species are S haematobium, S mansoni, and S japonicum. According to WHO, 200 million people are infected worldwide, leading to th...

Human Schistosomiasis

Failure is the word that best describes human effort to master schistosomiasis. In 1000 B.C. schistosomes infected man, proof being recovery of calcified ova from dated Egyptian mummies. Earlier by a thousand years, vesical schistosomiasis was prevalent, to judge from references to hematuria by the local medical profession. By A.D. 1969 the world incidence of schistosomiasis was at least 150 mi...