Definitions for "Schistosoma"
type genus of the family Schistosomatidae: blood flukes
A genus of trematodes, Schistosoma spp., commonly known as blood-flukes and bilharzia, cause the most important human helminth infection (schistosomiasis) from a world health perspective, and are considered by the World Health Organization as second in importance only to malaria, with hundreds of millions infected worldwide. Adult worms parasitize mesenteric blood vessels. Eggs are passed through urine or feces to fresh water, where larval stages can infect a new host by penetrating the skin.