Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Jun 22:91:5-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.curtheres.2019.06.001. eCollection 2019.

Schistosomiasis: Life Cycle, Diagnosis, and Control

Martin L Nelwan  1
Affiliations
Review

Schistosomiasis: Life Cycle, Diagnosis, and Control

Martin L Nelwan. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. .

Abstract

Background: Human schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by blood-worms that infect multiple organs, including the liver, intestine, bladder, and urethra. This disease may be eliminated with Praziquantel, vaccines, and gene therapy.

Aims: In this review, the author describes the progress in a study of schistosomiasis that focused on the life cycle, diagnosis, and control.

Methodology: The author searched the PubMed Database at NCBI for articles on schistosomiasis published between 2014 and 2018. All articles were open access and in English.

Results: The life cycle of this parasites involve two hosts: snails and mammals. Manifestations of schistosomiasis can be acute or chronic. Clinical manifestations of acute schistosomiasis can include fever and headache. Symptoms of chronic infections can include dysuria and hyperplasia. Infection can occur in several sites including the bile ducts, intestine, and bladder. The different sites of infection and symptoms seen are related to which of the species involved. Five species can infect humans. The three most commons are S. haematobium, S. japonicum, and S. mansoni. Detection tools for people with schistosomiasis can include the Kato-Katz and PCR. Praziquantel is at present the only effective treatment of this disease. In the future, vaccination or gene therapy may be used.

Conclusion: Kato-Katz and PCR are tools for detecting schistosomiasis on humans. Praziquantel, diagnosis, vaccines, and gene therapy are useful methods for eliminating schistosomiasis.

Keywords: Praziquantel; Schistosome; Schistosomiasis; Schistosomula.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schistosomiasis life cycle. Asexual reproduction in snails and sexual reproduction in mammals.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Viana M., Faust C.L., Haydon D.T., Webster J.P., Lamberton P.H.L. The effects of subcurative praziquantel treatment on life-history treats and trade-offs in drug-resistant Schistosoma mansoni. Evolutionary Applications. 2018 Aug;11:488—500. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sundaraneedi M.K., Tedla B.A., Eichenberger R.M., Becker L., Pickering D., Smout M.J. Polypyridylruthenium (II) complexes exert anti-schistosome activity and inhibit parasite acetylcholinesterases. PloS Negl Trop Dis. 2017 Dec;11(12) - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alemu M., Zigta E., Derbie A. Under diagnosis of intestinal schistosomiasis in a referral hospital, North Ethiopia. BMC Res Notes. 2018 Apr;11:245. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mohamed I., Kinung'hi S., Mwinzi P.N.M., Onkanga I.O., Andioge K., Muchiri G. Diet and hygiene practices influence morbidity in schoolchildren living in Schistosomiasis endemic areas along Lake Victoria in Kenya and Tanzania—A cross-sectional study. PloS Negl Trop Dis. 2018 March;12(3) - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wei Y., Huang N., Chen S., Chen D., Li X., Xu J. The diagnosis and treatment introspection of the first imported case of atypical cerebral schistosomiasis in Guangzhou city. PloS Negl Trop Dis. 2018 March;12(3):e6171. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources