Schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis, bilharzia or snail fever is a disease affecting many people in developing countries. Although it has a low mortality rate, schistosomiasis is very debilitating. An estimated 200 million people have the disease, 120 million symptomatic. A few countries have eradicated the disease, and many more are working towards it. The World Health Organization is working towards this goal.
There are 5 species of flatworms that cause schistosomiasis. Each causes a different clinical presentation of the disease
- Schistosoma mansoni and S. intercalatum cause intestinal schistosomiasis
- Schistosoma haematobium causes urinary schistosomiasis
- Schistosoma japonicum and S. mekongi cause Asian intestinal schistosomiasis
The eggs of the above schistosomes open upon contact with water, releasing a miracidium parasite, which then infects a snail. After infection, the miracidium divides into thousands of new parasites, known as
