BLOOD FLUKES

BASIC BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

PARASITOLOGY DEPARTMENT
UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA
2019
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General morphology
• Leaf-like, except blood
flukes (Schistosoma sp.)
• Unsegmented
• Hermaphrodite, except
blood flukes
• Suckers : oral and ventral
• GIT:
Incomplete
No anus
• Body cavity absent
• Operculated eggs, except
blood flukes’

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Classification
 Blood flukes:
 Schistosoma japonicum
 Schistosoma mansoni
 Shistosoma haematobium

 Liver flukes:
 Fasciola hepatica
 Fasciola gigantica
 Opistorchis viverrini
 Clonorchis sinensis

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Classification
 Intestinal flukes:
 Fasciolopsis buski
 Heterophyes heterophyes
 Metagonimus yokogawai
 Echinostoma sp.
 Gastrodiscoides hominis

 Lung fluke:
 Paragonimus westermani

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Blood flukes

 Schistosoma japonicum
 Schistosoma mansoni
 Schistosoma haematobium

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S. japonicum

Epidemiology

 Japan, China, Philipines, Taiwan and

Southeast Asia .
 In Indonesia : Sulawesi

- Lake Lindu
- Napu valley

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S. japonicum

Morphology

 More silindrical than other trematodes.

 Separated sexes (not hermaphrodit), but always in
pair.
 Suckers : oral and ventral has the same size.
 Male is bigger than female, gynaecophoric canal.
 Species differentiated by :
- male : number of testis
-female : location of ovary

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S. japonicum

Morphology

Oral sucker

Ventral sucker

Gynechoporic
canal

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S. japonicum
Morphology
 Male :
 Fine tuberculated cuticle
 6-8 testes

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S. japonicum
Morphology
 Female :
 Spined tuberculated

cuticule
 Middle part ovary

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S. japonicum
Morphology

testes

ovary

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S. japonicum
Egg
 Short ovoid
 Not operculated
 Lateral knob
 Content miracidium

miracidium Lateral knob

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S.japonicum
Life cycle

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S. japonicum
Life cycle
 Definite host : human
 Reservoar host : mouse, cat, dog, horse
 Habitat : mesenterica superior vein
 Infectifve form: cercaria
 Intermediate host : snail : Onchomelania

Forked
tail

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 Table of blood flukes

S.haematobium S. mansoni S. japonicum

Intermediate host Snail (Bulinus) Snail (Biomphalaria) Snail

(Onchomelania)
Infective stage Cercaria Cercaria Cercaria
Habitat Urinary Vein Mesentric Vein Mesentric vein
Diagnostic stage Eggs (terminal spine) Eggs (lateral spine) in Eggs (lateral knob) in
in urine feces feces
Morphology Ovary (⅓posterior) Ovary (⅓ anterior) Ovary (middle)
testes 4-5, smooth testes 8-9, rough cuticles testes 6-8, fine
cuticles tuberculated cuticles

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 Schistosoma mansoni
General

 Distributed in African continent, Middle East,

and South America.
 Causes intestinal bilharziasis.
 Sexually dimorphic.
 Habitat : inferior mesenteric vein and branches
of final host.
 Final host : humans
 Reservoir hosts : other mammals.
 Intermediate host : Biomphalaria spp.
 Schistosoma mansoni
Egg

 Large, averaging
150x60 m.
 Without an
operculum.
 Has lateral spine.
 Contains
miracidium.
 Schistosoma mansoni
Morphology

Female:
 Slightly smaller than that of S. japonicum,

measuring 7-16 mm long.

 The ovary : 1/3 the body length from the

anterior end.
 Covered with small spines on their surface.
 Schistosoma mansoni
Morphology

Male:
 About 6-12 mm long and broader than the
female, has canalis gynecophorus.
 Testes : 8-9 on the dorsal side behind the
ventral sucker.
 There are many wart-like projections on the
body surface, many spines grow on the warts.
 Schistosoma mansoni
Life Cycle

 Life cycle is similar to that of S. japonicum

 Intermediate host : Biomphalaria spp.
 Cercariae invade the final host through the

skin, and grow to adults in various veins of

the portal system, especially inferior
mesenteric vein.
 Schistosoma haematobium
General
 Distributed widely in African continent,
especially n the Nile Delta.
 Causes Egyptian hematuria, vesical or urinary
bilharziasis.
 Sexually dimorphic
 Habitat : urinary vein and veins of pelvic cavity.
 Final host : humans.
 Reservoir hosts : other mammals.
 Intermediate host : Bulinus spp.
 Schistosoma haematobium
Egg

 Without an
operculum.
 Has terminal
spine.
 Contains
miracidium.
 Schistosoma haematobium
Morphology

Female:
 Similar to that of S. japonicum, measuring

about 20 mm long.
 The ovary is located 1/3 the body length from

the posterior end.

 Covered w/ small spines on their surface.
 Schistosoma haematobium
Morphology

Male:
 About 10-15 mm long and broader than the

female, canalis gynecophorus.

 There are about 4-5 testes on the dorsal side

behind the ventral sucker.

 Covered by wart-like projections on the body

surface, no spines on the warts.

 Schistosoma haematobium
Life Cycle
 Similar to that of other Schistosomes, only that
the eggs appear in the urine o/t final host.
 Intermediate host is especially Bulinus snail.
 Cercariae invade the human skin, basically

follow the same way for the other species, and

settles in veins o/t pelvic cavity rather than of
the portal system.
Prevention
 Treat the patients of schistosomiasis.
 Protecting water where the snail live.
 Killing intermediate host.
 Avoiding contact to cercaria from
contaminated water.

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