Question

A 40 yr old man presents for a routine examination. He appears well but complains of some mild dysuria and increasing frequency of urination. He has never had a UTI and thought that the increasing urination was a normal part of aging. He has not seen any blood in his urine but indicates his urine is darker than usual. He smokes a pack a day and was a recent immigrant from Egypt who has lived in the U.S. for the past 3 years.

5. What are some parasitic organisms that could be the cause of this disease?

6. What are some tests that would be ordered to look for the parasites above? Are there any specialized tests that would be most helpful to the patient?

7. How would the most likely parasitic infection be acquired?

8. Diagram the general life cycle of the most likely infection.

Answer 1

5 - Schistosoma haematobium
6 - haematobium almost always have microscopic blood in their urine which can be detected by chemical reagent strips. The eggs of intestinal schistosomiasis can be detected in fecal specimens through a technique using methylene blue-stained cellophane soaked in glycerin or glass slides, known as the Kato-Katz technique.

7 - Transmission occurs when people suffering from schistosomiasis contaminate freshwater sources with their excreta containing parasite eggs, which hatch in water.

8 -