What is the symptoms of schistosomiasis?

Within 1-2 months of infection, symptoms may develop including fever, chills, cough, and muscle aches. Without treatment, schistosomiasis can persist for years. Signs and symptoms of chronic schistosomiasis include: abdominal pain, enlarged liver, blood in the stool or blood in the urine, and problems passing urine.

How long does it take to cure schistosomiasis?

Praziquantel, a prescription medication, is taken for 1-2 days to treat infections caused by all schistosome species.

How do you test for Schistosoma?

Examination of stool and/or urine for ova is the primary method of diagnosis for suspected schistosome infections. The choice of sample to diagnose schistosomiasis depends on the species of parasite likely causing the infection.

Can I take albendazole daily?

The dose is usually 15 mg per kg of body weight per day, divided into 2 doses, taken with meals for 28 days. This is followed by not taking albendazole for 14 days, for a total of 3 cycles. The dose is usually not more than 800 mg per day.

How do you get schistosomiasis?

Schistosomiasis is usually contracted by people in developing countries while fishing or farming in contaminated water. The parasite easily enters through intact skin and matures within organ tissues.

What is the life cycle of Schistosoma?

Schistosomes have a complex life cycle, in which cercariae, free-living in fresh water, can penetrate healthy human skin. The head of the cercaria transforms into an endoparasitic larva, the schistomule.

What does Schistosoma mean?

Schistosoma. A genus of digenetic trematodes, including the important blood flukes of humans and domestic animals, which cause schistosomiasis ; characterized by elongate shape, by marked sexual dimorphism, by their unusual location in the smaller blood vessels of their host, and by use of water snails as intermediate hosts.