Schistosomiasis, one of the most important neglected tropical diseases worldwide, is caused by flatworms (blood flukes or schistosomes) that live in the bloodstream of humans. The hepatointestinal form of this debilitating disease results from a chronic infection with Schistosoma mansoni or Schistosoma japonicum. No vaccine is available to prevent schistosomiasis, and treatment relies predomina...

Due to their worldwide importance for human and animal health, schistosomes are in the focus of national and international research activities. Schistosomiasis is a major health problem and despite decades of research, only one effective drug, Praziquantel is currently available. Recent expansion of sequence databases on Schistosoma mansoni and S. japonicum has permitted a wealth of novel prote...

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect antibodies to Schistosoma japonicum soluble egg antigens (SEA) in un-concentrated urine was developed. The urine ELISA was applied to samples collected in a schistosomiasis-endemic village in China. The levels of anti-SEA antibodies detected in urine correlated well with those obtained with paired serum samples (r = 0.694, p<0.0001). Among ...

BACKGROUND Schistosomiasis transmission is typically focal. Understanding spatial variations of Schistosoma infections and their associated factors is important to help to invent site-specific intervention strategies. METHODS A five-year longitudinal study was carried out prospectively in 12 natural villages, Guichi district of Anhui province. A GIS-based spatial analysis was conducted to ide...

Schistosomiasis is a significant parasitic infection creating disease burden throughout many of the world's developing nations. Iron deficiency anemia is also a significant health burden resulting from both nutritional deficit as well as parasitic infection in these countries. In this study we investigated the relationships between the disease outcomes of Schistosoma japonicum infection and iro...

Boswellic acid (BA)-containing extracts such as BSE have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity. In chronic schistosomiasis, the hepatic granuloma and fibrosis induced by egg deposition in the liver is the most serious pathological manifestations. However, little is known regarding the role of BAs in Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) egg-induced liver granuloma and fibrosis. In orde...

BACKGROUND Schistosoma japonicum causes major public health problems in China and the Philippines; this parasite, which is transmitted by freshwater snails of the species Oncomelania hupensis, causes the disease intestinal schistosomiasis in humans and cattle. Researchers working on Schistosoma in Africa have described the relationship between the parasites and their snail intermediate hosts as...

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by flatworms that live in snail-infested fresh water. It is endemic to 74 countries and affects some 200 million people worldwide, causing an estimated 200,000 deaths annually [1]. Schistosomiasis can affect the gastrointestinal tract and liver (S. mansoni and S. japonicum species), resulting in diarrhoeal disease and hepatic fibrosis, or the urinar...