Review

Schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia) is a chronic and debilitating tropical disease caused by adult blood f lukes (parasitic trematode worms) of the genus Schistosoma that deposit eggs in blood vessels surrounding the bladder or gut of infected mammalian hosts. Schistosoma japonicum, the focus of this review, is currently endemic mainly in China and the Philippines, and causes intestinal and hepatosplenic dis-ease [1–3]. Recent evidence suggests that the burden of disease attributable to S. japonicum (and the other major human schistosomes, Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium) has been under-recognized [4]. Schistosomiasis has a long history in China