RESEARCH r t

have a complex life cycle with snails serving as the inter-mediary host between the mammalian hosts. Approxi-mately 800 million people are at risk of schistosomiasis malaria in terms of its public health importance [1-4]. Control of schistosomiasis relies on preventive chemo-therapy programs targeting the entire at risk population [5]. Up to now, praziquantel has been the drug of choice [6-8]. The drug is safe, has a broad therapeutic profile, and is cheap. However, these advantages have impeded the advances in the development of new drug candidates * Correspondence: jennifer.keiser@unibas.ch1Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss TropicalSchistosomiasis remains one of the most prevalent hel-Background: The development of novel antischistosomal drugs is crucial, as currently no vaccine and only a single drug is available for the treatment of schistosomiasis. Fast and accurate in vitro assays are urgently needed to identify new drug candidates and research efforts should include Schistosoma haematobium. The aim of the present study was to develop a S. haematobium drug sensitivity assay based on newly transformed schistosomula (NTS). Methods: We first undertook comparative studies on the cercarial emergence rhythms of the intermediate hos