Schistosomiasis

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 346; no. 16; pp. 1212 - 1220
• Main Authors: Ross, Allen G.P, Bartley, Paul B, Sleigh, Adrian C, Olds, G. Richard, Li, Yuesheng, Williams, Gail M, McManus, Donald P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Massachusetts Medical Society 18-04-2002
• Subjects: Animals; Artemisinins; Drug Therapy, Combination; Feces - parasitology; Humans; Life Cycle Stages; Mortality; Ovum - cytology; Ovum - immunology; Praziquantel - therapeutic use; Schistosoma - growth & development; Schistosoma - isolation & purification; Schistosomiasis - complications; Schistosomiasis - diagnosis; Schistosomiasis - drug therapy; Schistosomiasis - physiopathology; Schistosomicides - therapeutic use; Sesquiterpenes - therapeutic use; Swimming; Tropical diseases; Vaccines; China; Egypt
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra012396

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic-worm infection that affects about 200 million people in 74 countries. Despite major advances in treatment and control, this tropical disease continues to spread to new geographic areas. This review summarizes the manifestations of this disease, its diagnosis, medical treatment, and prophylaxis, and the prospects for a vaccine.
In 1851, Theodor Bilharz described a parasitic infection (bilharzia) that would later be termed schistosomiasis. Currently, 200 million people in 74 countries have this disease; 120 million of them have symptoms, and 20 million have severe illness.
1
Schistosomiasis is caused by parasitic trematode worms (schistosomes) that reside in the abdominal veins of their vertebrate definitive hosts. The life cycle of the schistosome is depicted in Figure 1. Schistosomiasis is 1 of the 10 tropical diseases especially targeted for control by the Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases of the United Nations Development Program, the World Bank, and the . . .