By Jenna Adamson

1
Schistosomes

• By Jenna Adamson
• And Ashley Koehnke
• Zoology
• Period 2

2
Description

• Tiny flukes that usually live in the bloodstream
  of children in unsanitary countries and
  communities
• Start as parasitic eggs that are passed on
  through feces and urine
• They infest humans directly through their skin,
  and the adults infest the mesenteric veins of
  humans
• http//www.nhm.ac.uk/zoology/projects/project3.htm
  l

3
Anatomy Physiology

• Females are usually darker
• They have 2 suckers found in the mesenteric blood
  vessels
• Adult schistosomes have tegument, which is the
  parasites version of skin
• Schistosome eggs are most commonly yellow and
  have a clear shell and a lateral spine
• Usually 7-12 mm in length
• http//www.path.cam.ac.uk/schisto/SchistoLife/Adu
  lt.worm.html

4
Classification

• Kingdom -- Animalia
• Phylum Platy helminthes
• Class -- Trematode
• Geneum -- Schistosoma
• Specie -- Schistosoma mansoni
• http//www.cdfound.to.it/HTML/sch1.htm

5
Pictures
http//www.nhm.ac.uk/zoology/projects/project3.htm
l
http//www.med.sc.edu85/parasitology/schis8.jpg
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Pictures 2
http//ucdnema.ucdavis.edu/imagemap/nemmap/ent156h
tml/slides/fromCD/3249/43.GIF
http//images.google.com/imgres?imgurlhttp//meds
chool.sums.ac.ir/users/parasito/Helminths/Trematod
a/Schistosoma2520mansoni2520egg2520.jpgimgrefu
rlhttp//medschool.sums.ac.ir/users/parasito/Helm
inths/Trematoda/page_02.htmh390w520sz86tbni
ds7BRo4Fa93wJtbnh96tbnw128start4prev/ima
ges3Fq3Dschistosoma2Bmansoni26hl3Den26lr3D
26sa3DN
7
Life Cycle

• Start off as parasitic eggs
• Infect freshwater snails
• After they infect humans they form into either
  male or female organisms, then produce eggs
• Some mature in the veins that drain the bladder,
  others in the intestine
• http//www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/vol61/m61-1.h
  tml

Snail from genus Biomphalaria http//www.cdfound.
to.it/HTML/sch1.htm
8
http//images.google.com/imgres?imgurlhttp//www.
nih-cyber.or.kr/images/water/schistosomes.gifimgr
efurlhttp//www.nih-cyber.or.kr/water/schistosoma
.html3Fpageid3D4_2_1h785w658sz63tbnidmgU
kpG08zZQJtbnh140tbnw118start7prev/images
3Fq3Dschistosomes26hl3Den26lr3D26sa3DG
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Hosts

• Start off in a certain kind of freshwater snail,
  genus Biomphalaria
• Not every specie in Biomphalaria can be infected
  with schistosoma mansoni
• Infect humans, most commonly children
• http//www.nhm.ac.uk/zoology/projects/project3.htm
  l

10
How they get into Hosts

• Penetrate humans directly through the skin
• People who live in rural communities come in
  contact with freshwater snails that carry
  schistosomes daily because the snails live in the
  water
• http//www.nhm.ac.uk/zoology/projects/project3.htm
  l
• http//www.uni-bielefeld.de/biologie/Didaktik/Zool
  ogie/html_deutsch/pics/zyklus_eng.jpg

11
Symptoms of Infection

• Sometimes can show no symptoms
• After a few days you get a rash
• After a few months you get chills, cough, muscle
  pains and fever
• In some cases liver cancer, colorectal cancer,
  follicular lymphoma and liver tumors
• http//www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/vol61/m61-1.h
  tml

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Diagnosis of Infection

• To diagnose an infection doctors usually look at
  geographical information, exposure to infected
  larvae
• It is confirmed by parasitic eggs being present
  in urine or feces

http//www.cdfound.to.it/HTML/sch1.htm
13
Treatment of Infection

• Antischistosomal treatment drugs normally result
  in curing the infection
• The drugs also prevent people from getting more
  serious infections, stops the infection from
  getting worse, and in some cases (usually in
  children) reverses the infestation
• http//www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/vol61/m61-1.h
  tml

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Controlling Infestation

• Dont multiply in humans
• If youre in a country where schistosomaisis is a
  problem, dont go in freshwater. Oceans are safe
• Drink boiled water to avoid bacteria
• If contact with freshwater occurs, dry/towel
  yourself off immediately
• http//www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/schistosom
  iasis/factsht_schistosomiasis.htmsymptoms

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Distribution of Infestation

• Schistosoma mansoni is common to Africa,
  Saudi-Arabia, South America and the Carribean
• Infestation is spreading because of dams and
  faulty irrigation systems
• http//members.lycos.co.uk/Mollusks/Schnecken/para
  sitismus/schistosoma.html

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Statistics

• Schistosomes affect over 200 million people in 74
  countries
• 600 people are at risk for contracting them
• Can cause death from portal hypertension
• Schistosoma mansoni is the only schistosome to be
  present outside of Africa
• Females can lay up to 300 eggs in a single day
• http//www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/vol61/m61-1.h
  tml

17
Bibliography

• http//www.cdfound.to.it/HTML/sch1.htm
• http//www.nhm.ac.uk/zoology/projects/project3.htm
  l
• http//gsbs.utmb.edu/microbook/ch088.htm
• http//www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/vol61/m61-1.h
  tml
• http//www.path.cam.ac.uk/schisto/SchistoLife/Sch
  ist.lifecycle.html
• http//www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/schistosom
  iasis/factsht_schistosomiasis.htmsymptoms