Schistosoma haematobium

Schistosoma haematobium is an important parasite. It is a major agent of schistosomiasis. More specifically, it is associated with urinary schistosomiasis.

It can break the wall of the urinary bladder causing haematuria. Inflammation of the genitals due to S. haematobium may contribute to the propagation of HIV.

The adult worm lives in the blood vessels of the bladder. Since there are separate males and females, a single worm can not produce eggs. A female worm produces roughly 30 eggs per day. It is these eggs that cause the pathogenicity in an infected individual. Dark urine is a significant clinical sign of urinary schistosomiasis.

The chemotherapy of choice is praziquantel, a quinolone derivative.