Helminth
Flukes live in different locations in the body, including the intestines, bladder, rectum, liver, spleen, lungs and veins. Flukes first mature inside freshwater snails. After leaving the snails, they can enter the body of humans by penetrating the skin of persons swimming, bathing or washing in water where flukes are active. Infected persons can re-contaminate the water by urinating or defecating in it. Most infected persons experience no symptoms. However, some infected persons may experience rash, itching, muscle aches, coughing, chills and fever. Flukes pass out of the body, but persons can become infected again and again. In time, the repeated infections can damage the liver, bladder, intestines and lungs. In rare cases, flukes can invade the spinal cord or brain and cause seizures and paralysis. Fluke-caused illnesses are classified as schistosomiasis (also called bilharziasis) and are mainly confined to Africa parts of South America and the Caribbean, and parts of the Middle East, China and the Philippines.
The word “helminth” is derived from the Greek “helmins” (worm). Helminthology is the study of parasitic worms.
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