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Related terms:
fascioliasis
paragonimiasis
Disease or Syndrome
schistosomiasis Audio
schis·to·so·mi·a·sis [ shis-tuh-soh-mahy-uh-sis ]
Subclass of:
Vector Borne Diseases; Trematode Infections
Also called:
Bilharziasis
Definitions related to schistosomiasis:
  • A parasitic infection caused by flukes of the genus Schistosoma. Signs and symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, eosinophilia and hepatosplenomegaly. If left untreated it may eventually cause liver damage leading to cirrhosis, bladder cancer and kidney failure.
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Infection with flukes (trematodes) of the genus SCHISTOSOMA. Three species produce the most frequent clinical diseases: SCHISTOSOMA HAEMATOBIUM (endemic in Africa and the Middle East), SCHISTOSOMA MANSONI (in Egypt, northern and southern Africa, some West Indies islands, northern 2/3 of South America), and SCHISTOSOMA JAPONICUM (in Japan, China, the Philippines, Celebes, Thailand, Laos). S. mansoni is often seen in Puerto Ricans living in the United States.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • Parasitic disease of tropical and subtropical countries; characterized initially by fever, chills, and abdominal and lower back pain; untreated patients may develop jaundice, liver cirrhosis, bladder tumors, and kidney failure.
    CRISP Thesaurus
    National Institutes of Health, 2006
  • Schistosoma parasite infection that is commonly seen in tropical and subtropical regions and may be transmitted through skin contact with contaminated freshwater.
    NICHD Pediatric Terminology
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Schistosomiasis is infection with blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma, which are acquired transcutaneously by swimming or wading in contaminated freshwater. The organisms infect the vasculature of the gastrointestinal or genitourinary system. Acute symptoms are dermatitis, followed several weeks later by fever, chills, nausea,...
    Merck Manuals
    Merck & Co., Inc., 2025
  • Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by blood flukes (trematodes) of the genus Schistosoma. After malaria and intestinal helminthiasis, schistosomiasis is the third most devastating tropical disease in the world, being a major source of morbidity and mortality for developing countries in Africa, South America, the Caribbean, the...
    Medscape
    WebMD, 2025
  • Schistosomiasis is a disease caused by parasitic worms. Although the worms that cause schistosomiasis are not found in the United States, more than 200 million people are infected worldwide. Infection occurs through contact with contaminated water. The parasite in its infective stages is called a cercaria. It swims freely in open bodies...
    NIH Genetic and Rare Diseases
    National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
  • A snail-borne parasitic disease caused by multicellular trematodes of the Schistosoma blood fluke species. It is acquired through skin exposure to freshwater that harbors infectious schistosome larval forms known as cercariae. Cercariae are released by aquatic snails that are the parasite's intermediate host.
    Epocrates
    Athenahealth, Inc., 2019
  • Schistosomiasis, group of chronic disorders caused by small, parasitic flatworms (family Schistosomatidae) commonly called blood flukes. Schistosomiasis is characterized by inflammation of the intestines, bladder, liver, and other organs. Next to malaria, it is probably humanity's most serious...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2025
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