Images in Clinical Medicine
Schistosoma haematobium
N Engl J Med 2000; 343:1085October 12, 2000
- Article
Figure 1 An eight-year-old boy was referred to the nephrology clinic with a two-year history of painless, gross macroscopic hematuria. He had recently arrived from Somalia and stated through an interpreter that with each urination he passed bright red urine. He had no other symptoms. His physical examination was normal. A urinary dipstick test was positive for protein (++) and blood (+++). Although schistosomiasis is not thought to occur in Somalia, we confirmed the diagnosis by examining the urine sediment. The figure shows a longitudinal view of an ovum in the urine. The terminal spine is characteristic of the ova of Schistosoma haematobium. The embryo is visible inside the ovum. The patient was successfully treated with praziquantel, given as a split dose of 40 mg per kilogram of body weight on a single day. Praziquantel is the treatment of choice for Schistosoma haematobium infection in the United States. However, trichlorfon may be the preferred treatment in areas of endemic disease where praziquantel is too expensive. The response to therapy could not be assessed, because the patient was lost to follow-up.
Bernard S. Kaplan, M.B., B.Ch.
Kevin Meyers, M.B., B.Ch.
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104- Citing Articles (2)
