Schistosoma japonicum, found throughout China, Japan, the Philippines, and Indochina, prefers to infect the veins that drain nutrient-rich blood from the intestines and deliver it to the liver.
The adult worms release their eggs, lodging in blood vessels and organs and provoking an immune response that includes intense inflammation and scarring. An acute infection results in severe flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Long-term complications caused by this species can be serious, consisting of severe intestinal and liver scarring, leading to profound hypertension that results in bowel obstruction, malfunctioning liver, vomiting of blood, and death (5).
Schistosoma japonicum reaches the organs of the body through an anatomical shortcut, bypassing the traditional infectious routes of oral ingestion or a breathy intake of infectious particles. The parasite’s larvae, found in rivers and dams, penetrate the skin of hapless humans fishing, bathing, laundering, or swimming in water. Infected humans go on to spread the infection by defecating or urinating into the same freshwater sources, preserving the parasite’s life cycle.