Schistosoma haematobium

• Abbreviation: Sh
• Urinary bilharziasis.
• Egg size: 112 - 170 microns
• A large schistosome egg with a terminal spine.
• Lives mainly in the pelvic veins.
• Usually recovered from urine but other sites are common.
• If the results of a midday urine(between 10am and 3pm) examination are negative a stool examination or rectal or bladder biopsy may recover the eggs.(15)
• Bladder is most often infected as is the genitalia and at times the intestine.
• Living miracidiums have been recovered from urine.
• Patient often refered to as having fetal head syndrome because of calcification of eggs in the bladder.
• It is this toxic and physical irritation of the eggs that lead to a high incidence of malignancy in iffected tissues.
• Geographical distribution is Africa and the Nile Valley.

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