Treatment of Schistosomiasis

Treatment of schistosomiasis in Kenya and Uganda, where we are conducting research in the field, is by the use of the drug Praziquantel, a highly effective drug which kills larval and adult worms, but is less effective against juvenile (2 - 4 week old parasites). However there are a number of disadvantages in the use of any drug in these mass treatment campaigns, these including the difficulty in treating all infected individuals, and, more importantly, those people who have been chemotherapeutically cured may rapidly become reinfected, as infected snails and cercaria will still be present in their water supplies, and costly re-treatment campaigns must be maintained. For these reasons other control measures may also be used, such as installation of safe water supplies, (an ideal control measure, as many other water borne infectious organisms would be simultaneously controlled as well), or treatment of water supplies with molluscicides. However these measures also have the major disadvantages of being very expensive, and in the case of molluscide treatment, may be damaging to the environment. The use of a cheap effective vaccine would be the best control measure, as the need for re-treatment is avoided, and, even if not initially fully effective in eliminating the parasites, could be expected to reduce parasite burdens below the threshold at which they cause disease.

Treatment of people infected with schistosomes (Philippines)

Schistosome Treatment Site (Uganda)