Symptoms:

Symptoms vary with the species of worm and the phase of infection.

• Heavy infestation (many parasites) may cause fever, chills, lymph node enlargement, and liver and spleen enlargement.
• Initial invasion of the skin may cause itching and a rash (swimmer's itch). In this condition, the schistosome is destroyed within the skin.
• Intestinal symptoms include abdominal pain and diarrhea (which may be bloody).
• Urinary symptoms may include frequent urination, painful urination (dysuria), and blood in the urine (hematuria).

Signs and tests:

• Anemia (low number of red blood cells)
• Antibody test (checks for schistosome antigens)
• Biopsy of tissue suspected of being infected
• High eosinophil (a type of white blood cell) count in blood
• Low platelets
• Test for schistosome eggs in stool
• Test for schistosome eggs in urine
• Urinalysis