Schistosoma

Schistosoma is a genus of 
trematodes, commonly known
as blood flukes.
They are parasitic flatworms responsible for a
highly significant group of
 infections  in humans termed schistosomiasis,
which is considered by the 
World Health Organization as the second-most
socioeconomically devastating parasitic disease
 (after malaria), with hundreds of millions
infected worldwide.
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 GENOME
Schistosoma species are
found throughout the tropical
and developing regions of the
world, with primary foci in
Asia, Africa and South
America. The distribution of
these parasites is closely
linked with the geography of
the obligate intermediate snail
hosts that each species has
adapted to exploit within
3 given regions
There are two groups
primarily found throughout
Asia; the S. japonicum
group found throughout
eastern and south eastern
Asia, including China, the
Philippines and Malaysia,
and the S. indicum group
which inhabits the western
and southern regions
including India, Sri Lanka
and Thailand
 Both S. However, the only
mansoni and S. representative of the
genus Schistosoma to be
haematobium groups
found in South America
are found throughout is S. mansoni, which is
Africa, with species mainly restricted to areas of
from both groups Brazil, Venezuela, Surinam
often sharing and the Caribbean.
overlapping
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 Family: Schistosomatidae
Unlike all other trematodes, schistosomes are not
hermaphroditic but dioecious, forming separate
sexes. Adult worms have elongate tubular bodies,
each male having a unique gynecophoral canal
(schisto-soma = split body) in which a female
worm resides. They live inside visceral blood
vessels and are commonly known as blood flukes.
They have digenetic life-cycles involving aquatic
snails as obligate intermediate hosts.
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Eggs deposited in the circulation penetrate the gut
or bladder to be excreted with faeces or urine. In
water, the eggs release miracidia which infect
snails and undergo asexual proliferation through
sporocyst stages eventually releasing cercariae
back into the water. Vertebrate hosts become
infected by direct penetration of the skin.
Infections may cause chronic debilitating diseases
in humans and some domestic animals.

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 Structure/Morphology
Adult human schistosomes
are diecious (male and
female worms are separate
organisms), and the sexes
have different morphologies.
The adult worms are
bilaterally symmetrical and
have both a digestive
system and oral and ventral
suckers for attachment and
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stabilization.
Male worms are .6-2.2
centimeters in length and
rather thick. They possess
a structure known as a
gynecophoral canal
running the length of the
body in which the 1.2-2.6
centimeter-long female
remains during much of
the life cycle
The thinner female separates
from her mate to migrate to the
venules bordering the intestine or
bladder in order to deposit eggs .
These eggs are responsible for
the clinical manifestations of
schistosomiasis, and the eggs of
each species are easily-
distinguishable.
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Life Cycle/Replication

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 Schistosoma eggs are eliminated with
feces or urine, depending on species
Under appropriate conditions the and shed their forked tails,
eggs hatch and release miracidia  becoming schistosomulae

which swim and penetrate The schistosomulae migrate via venous

specific snail intermediate circulation to lungs, then to the heart, and
hosts then develop in the liver, exiting the liver via
The stages in the snail include
two generations of sporocysts the portal vein system when mature,

and the production of cercariae  Male and female adult worms copulate and
reside in the mesenteric venules, the location
Upon release from the snail, of which varies by species (with some
the infective cercariae swim, exceptions)
For instance, S. japonicum is more frequently
penetrate the skin of the found in the superior mesenteric veins draining
human host  the small intestine

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 Mode of Transmission
Human beings become infected with schistosomiasis when larval
forms of the parasite, released by freshwater snails, penetrate their
skin during contact with infested water. In the body, the larvae
develop into adult schistosomes. Adult worms live in the blood
vessels, where the females release eggs. Some of the eggs are
passed out of the body in the f
eces or urine to continue the parasite life cycle. Others become
trapped in body tissues, causing an immune reaction and
progressive damage to organs.

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 Diagnosis

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 ✘ Schistosomiasis is diagnosed through the detection of
parasite eggs in stool or urine specimens. Antibodies
and/or antigens detected in blood or urine samples are
also indications of infection.
✘ For urogenital schistosomiasis, a filtration technique
using nylon, paper or polycarbonate filters is the
standard diagnostic technique. Children with S.
haematobium almost always have microscopic blood in
their urine which can be detected by chemical reagent
strips.
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✘ The eggs of intestinal schistosomiasis can be detected in
faecal specimens through a technique using methylene
blue-stained cellophane soaked in glycerin or glass slides,
known as the Kato-Katz technique. In S.
mansoni transmission areas, CCA (Circulating Cathodic
Antigen) test can also be used.
✘ For people living in non-endemic or low-transmission
areas, serological and immunological tests may be useful
in showing exposure to infection and the need for
thorough examination, treatment and follow-up.

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TREATMENT
Schistosomiasis can usually be treated successfully with a short
course of a medication called praziquantel, that kills the worms.

Praziquantel is most effective once the worms have grown a bit,

so treatment may be delayed until a few weeks after you were
infected, or repeated again a few weeks after your first dose.

Steroid medication can also be used to help relieve the

symptoms of acute schistosomiasis, or symptoms caused by
damage to the brain or nervous system

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BEDECIR. SHANICE SHAIRA D. BSN 1-A