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Schistosomiasis
Alternate Names : Bilharzia, Katayama fever, Swimmer's itch, Blood fluke
Symptoms & Signs
Symptoms vary with the species of worm and the phase of infection. - Heavy infestation (many parasites) may cause fever, chills, lymph node enlargement, and liver and spleen enlargement.
- Initial invasion of the skin may cause itching and a rash (swimmer's itch). In this condition, the schistosome is destroyed within the skin.
- Intestinal symptoms include abdominal pain and diarrhea (which may be bloody).
- Urinary symptoms may include frequent urination, painful urination (dysuria), and blood in the urine (hematuria).
Diagnosis & Tests
- Anemia (low number of red blood cells)
- Antibody test (checks for schistosome antigens)
- Biopsy of tissue suspected of being infected
- High eosinophil (a type of white blood cell) count in blood
- Low platelets
- Test for schistosome eggs in stool
- Test for schistosome eggs in urine
- Urinalysis
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Review Date : 9/28/2008
Reviewed By : David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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