What Is Your Schistosomy And How Does It Get Infected?

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by a schistosomal parasite . This disease is also known as bilharticle. According to the biological classification, the parasite in question is a suction worm.

Global knowledge of the spread of the disease is striking. Schistosomiasis occurs mainly in Africa, Brazil and Asia. However, 78 countries have confirmed the spread of this disease to their territory. 200 million people are believed to be infected and 800 million people are at risk of becoming infected.

The last relatively reliable study to calculate the number of deaths caused by this disease was conducted in 2000. At that time, the World Health Organization estimated that schistosomiasis caused about 200,000 deaths each year. This figure is likely to have decreased with the increased use of parasite medication.

Schistosomiasis: a parasitic disease

This parasite is the only one in its biological family that can penetrate the skin. That’s the parasite’s advantage when it comes to infecting people. Because schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease, it requires a host. The species that host these “wonderful guests” are humans and freshwater snails.

During the infection period, the freshwater snail acts as a mediator. The schistosome performs part of its growth cycle inside this small animal and then swims in a human and stays inside the human.

If we were to summarize the life cycle of the parasite, these steps would describe it quite well:

• The parasite’s eggs leave the feces or urine of a previously infected person and enter the water body.

• In the water, the eggs release the parasite in a stage called “miradicium”.
• Miradicia penetrates the freshwater snail.
• The parasite grows inside the snail and reaches a stage called “cercaria”.
• Cercaria leaves the snail’s body and swims in fresh water until it encounters a human.
• This is when the parasite penetrates the human body through the skin.
• Within a human, the schistosome progresses to the blood vessels and then passes into the liver. In the liver, it develops into an adult parasite.
• The adult parasite lives in the human bloodstream and multiplies by laying eggs. They can start the cycle again when a person releases eggs through feces or urine. In addition, this parasite can also reside in different organs, causing different symptoms.

Symptoms of schistosomiasis

The first sign of a schistosomiasis is a wound that appears at the point where the schistosome penetrated the skin, as it is a parasitic disease. Rash and discoloration of the skin usually occur in this area . In some cases, the rash can occur up to a week after the parasite entered the body.

The following disease is also known as katayama syndrome. It is the reaction of the human body to eggs laid by adult parasites that have multiplied within a human.

The following symptoms may occur:

• Fever
• General malaise
• Myalgia or muscle pain
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea
• Hematuria or blood in the urine

From there, the infection can turn into a chronic, permanent version of the parasitosis. The most common chronic versions of this disease are:

• Gastrointestinal tract: Eggs adhere to the intestinal walls. In addition, people experience varying degrees of diarrhea and constipation and have blood in their stools. In severe cases, the host may also experience intestinal obstruction.

• Liver disease: Eggs live in the liver, causing inflammation and enlargement. They can cause blockage of blood vessels in the liver, leading to porcine hypertension.
• Urogenital: Eggs settle in the urinary tract and blood is present in the urine. If this disease progresses, nephrotic syndrome is possible, in which the kidneys remove proteins. Kidney failure is the most deadly consequence of all. This happens when the kidneys are no longer able to perform the necessary functions.

Remedies

Schistosome eggs are easily detected using a microscope because they have a special shape. In some cases , however, the eggs are not visible until two months after the parasite has invaded the host’s body.

The parasite drug praziquantel is a typical drug choice and several scientific studies support its efficacy. In addition, the World Health Organization distributes it to people for free.

Alternative therapies have also been proposed, such as ivermectin . To date, however, no experiments have shown that this drug is more effective.

Birth control

Such parasitic infections often occur when the body is exposed to fresh water or drinking contaminated water.

This is especially true when a person has been swimming in the water or doing other activities for more than half an hour. It is therefore important to keep this in mind and take appropriate preventive measures.

In areas where the disease is endemic, such as Africa or parts of Brazil, samples should be taken of water where people swim, bathe, fish or wash. In addition, it is also important to manage and regularly check the fresh water used to irrigate the crop.