It is the eggs, and not the worm, that damage the intestines, the bladder and other organs
There is a link between urinary bilharzia and a form of bladder cancer in some areas
Because the disease is chronic, it adversely affects the socio-economic development of tropical and subtropical regions
If bilharzia is left untreated, serious complications may occur
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Five species of the flatworm or blood flukes, also known as schistosomes, cause
the main forms of human bilharzia or schistosomiasis. They are:
Schistosoma mansoni – intestinal bilharzia which is
prevalent in 53 countries and areas of Africa, the Caribbean, the Eastern
Mediterranean and South America
Schistosoma haematobium – urinary bilharzia, which affects 54 countries
in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean
Only Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium are found in Southern Africa.
A person gets bilharzia when his/her skin comes into contact with contaminated
fresh water. The parasites enter the skin, then migrate through the body to
the blood vessels of the lungs and liver. From there they may advance to the veins around the bowel or bladder. The worms will lay eggs which can either be passed in the urine or faeces, or remain in the tissues in the human host. Eggs that remain in the host are usually found in the liver (S. mansoni) or the bladder (S. haematobium).
Infected people can infect fresh water if they urinate
or defecate in it.
This will start a new cycle of infection when contaminated water is used in
ordinary daily activities such as washing, bathing and swimming or professional
activities (also see Course).
Cause
About 600 million people are at risk of becoming infected with this parasitic
disease, the underlying causes of which include the following:
Extreme poverty
Unawareness of risks
Inadequacy or lack of public health facilities
Unsanitary living conditions
Migratory people and refugees from countries where the
disease is endemic
Rapid urbanisation
Increase in tourism to places that are off the beaten track
Symptoms
Within days of becoming infected with the bilharzia parasite, a rash or itchy skin (swimmer’s itch) may appear. This normally settles spontaneously. Within another month or two a person who has been infected may experience fatigue, fever, chills, cough, muscle aches, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, dysentery and blood in the urine. This phase coincides with the maturation of the worms in the body, and is called Katayama fever
In chronic bilhazia, it is the body’s reaction to the worm’s eggs, laid in the liver, intestine or bladder, that causes the symptoms associated with bilharzia. Eggs are rarely found in the brain.
Blood in the urine is a clear indication of urinary bilharzia, and is the commonest symptom of this type of bilharzia. In the case of intestinal bilharzia, symptoms may initially be so atypical that diagnosis is difficult. If left untreated, these symptoms can lead to serious complications of the liver and spleen.
Blood in the urine is a clear indication of urinary bilharzia. In the case
of intestinal bilharzia, symptoms may initially be so atypical that diagnosis
is difficult. If left untreated, these symptoms can lead to serious complications
of the liver and spleen.
Prevalence
The disease commonly affects the following people:
Adult workers in agriculture and the freshwater
fishing sector. Although these workers usually have only light infections and
do not suffer from any symptoms, bilharzia infection has seriously affected
the productivity of such workers in north-east Brazil, Egypt and Sudan
Urinary bilharzia affects 66 million children in more
than 54 countries
In many areas children between 10 and 14 years of age are infected. The
disease substantially affects children’s growth and school performance
Course
Because of a lack of information or not
enough attention to hygiene, people who are already infected with the parasite
contaminate their fresh water supply by urinating and defecating in it. The eggs
of the schistosomes in the excrement hatch when they come into contact with
water and release a parasite, called the miracidium. To survive, this parasite
must find a fresh water snail. Once it has found its snail host, the miracidium
divides and produces thousands of new parasites or cerceriae, which the snail in
turn excretes in the surrounding water. Here it can survive for 48 hours. Any
person coming into contact with this water can be infected by the
cercariae.
When the new parasites have entered a person’s skin (it can happen in a few
seconds), they migrate to the blood vessels of the lungs. From there they migrate
to the blood vessels of the liver and intestines (Schistosoma mansoni) and bladder (Schistosoma haematobium). Bilharzia continues its life
cycle in the blood vessels of the intestines (in the case of intestinal bilharzia)
or the bladder (in the case of urinary bilharzia) of the victim.
In 30 to 45 days a cerceriae is transformed into a long worm. The female worms
lay between 200 and 2 000 eggs per day over an average of five years. It is
the eggs and not the worm that cause the damage to the bladder, intestines and
other vital organs, such as the liver. The body's reaction to the eggs in the liver can cause fibrosis in the liver, which in turn causes enlargement of the spleen, and dilation of some of the blood vessels, especially in the base of the oesophagus.
Risk factors
You may get infected with bilharzia if:
You live in or travel to areas where bilharzia occurs
Your skin comes into contact with contaminated fresh water from canals,
rivers, streams or lakes
When to see a doctor
If you have travelled to an area where bilharzia is
found
If your skin has come into contact with fresh water in
such an area
If you have blood in your urine
Diagnosis
Stool or urine samples will be examined for parasite
eggs. It is better to test the urine at midday
The test for blood in the urine involves using a paper
strip that has been soaked in a reactive agent. It is easy to use in rural
areas. In some situations, if bilharzia is common
in the area and the person has appropriate symptoms, blood in the urine may be
used to make a diagnosis. However, the presence of blood in the urine
is not diagnostic of bilharzia, since other conditions can also cause blood in
the urine.
A blood test is available for a more accurate
diagnosis. The test is best done after 6 to 8 weeks after last being exposed
to contaminated water
A biopsy of the rectum may be required in intestinal bilharzia
Treatment
Modern medicines to treat bilharzia are safe and effective. Treatment is aimed
at reducing the risk of damage to body organs and usually have to be repeated.
Three medicines have been used successfully:
Praziquantel – used to treat all forms of bilharzia. A
single dose has been proven to be effective to contain the disease. Primary
health care workers can safely administer it
Oxamniquine – for treating intestinal bilharzia in
Africa and South America
Metrifonate – for treating urinary bilharzia
Because of the risk of reinfection, it is important to do follow-up tests for
three months until a patient is declared cured.
Prevention
Do not swim in fresh water when visiting areas where
bilharzia is endemic
Make sure that drinking water is safe by filtering or
boiling it for 1 minute. Iodine treatment alone cannot guarantee safe and
parasite-free drinking water
Heat bath water for at least five minutes to 65
degrees C. Water that has been stored in a tank for at least 48 hours should
be safe to bath in
Vigorous towel drying to prevent the parasite from entering the skin is
not very reliable and can be used with limited success only after very brief
exposure to contaminated water
Reviewed by Dr Andrew Whitelaw, MBBCh (Witwatersrand), MSc (UCT), FCPath (Micro) (SA) Senior registrar, Department of Microbiology, University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital.
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