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Schistosoma haematobium
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Schistosoma haematobium is a parasitic worm, a trematode of the genus Schistosoma, and it is the main cause of urogenital schistosomiasis, the form of the disease that affects the urinary and genital tracts.
Freshwater is home to snails that act as the parasite's intermediate host, a required stop in its life cycle. That same water contains cercariae, the larval form capable of causing infection. These cercariae penetrate the intact skin of anyone who gets into the water, with no need for a break in the skin. Once inside, the larvae travel through the bloodstream and mature into adult worms.
The adults pair up and settle in the vesical venous plexus, the network of veins around the bladder, and lay their eggs from there. And here is the part that usually comes as a surprise: most of the chronic damage is not caused by the worms themselves but by the body's own immune response against those eggs.
In brief
Schistosoma haematobium is a trematode of the genus Schistosoma and the main cause of urogenital schistosomiasis.
Its cercariae are released into water, where freshwater snails serve as its intermediate host, and the cercariae penetrate intact skin; the larvae travel through the bloodstream and mature into adult worms.
The adult pairs settle in the vesical venous plexus and lay eggs; the chronic damage comes mainly from the immune response to those eggs, not to the worms.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingSchistosomiasis, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
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