| This light micrograph reveals adult intestinal Schistosoma mansoni, one of the species of blood flukes that cause the disease known as schistosomiasis. The males are thick and blue; the females are thin and clear. A type of flatworm, while in larval form blood flukes enter the bloodstreams of people or animals exposed to contaminated water in tropical and subtropical climates, and then lay their eggs inside the host’s body. The disease’s symptoms, which include diarrhea, inflammation, and hemorrhage, vary depending on the species of fluke and what part of the body it infests. The disease may be fatal if untreated. |
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