background: the present study was carried out to detect the infection of larval stages of trichobilharzia species in the snail lymnaea auricularia in northwestern iran based on dna analysis. methods: a total number of 320 snails of l. auricularia were sampled from four water-bodies located in the suburb of urmia city, north west iran, during may to november 2011. the snails were first microscop...

During infection of their human definitive host, schistosomes transform rapidly from free-swimming infective cercariae in freshwater to endoparasitic schistosomules. The 'somules' next migrate within the skin to access the vasculature and are surrounded by host molecules that might activate intracellular pathways that influence somule survival, development and/or behaviour. However, such 'trans...

BACKGROUND Water buffalo and goats are natural hosts for S. japonicum in endemic areas of China. The susceptibility of these two hosts to schistosome infection is different, as water buffalo are less conducive to S. japonicum growth and development. To identify genes that may affect schistosome development and survival, we compared gene expression profiles of schistosomes derived from these two...

The genetic programmes associated with the sexual biology of dioecious schistosomes remain a critically important but significantly understudied area of parasitology. Throughout the last four decades, progress has been slow in describing the gross antigenic and proteomic differences linked to sexually mature schistosomes and in characterizing some of the sex-associated transcripts and regulator...

WHO During the past decade there have been major efforts to plan, implement, and sustain measures for reducing the burden of human disease that accompanies helminth infections. Further impetus was provided at the Fifty-fourth World Health Assembly, when WHO Member States were urged to ensure access to essential anthelminthic drugs in health services located where the parasites – schistosomes, r...