Abstract

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that affects about 290 million patients worldwide. Children aged
between 5 and 14 years represent 45.8% of the affected patients, in addition, schistosomiasis has been reported in
Schistosoma-free areas, mostly because of tourism and immigration from endemic countries. Intestinal
schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma mansoni is mainly diagnosed via direct stool examination for egg detection.
Immunological methods are favoured for disease monitoring and preliminary checking for communities in areas
with low infection rates, and for patients with light and chronic infections where parasitological tests are negative.
PCR-based diagnostic techniques are more sensitive, but expensive. Tegument proteins and miRNAs are promising
markers for diagnosis of schistosomiasis.
Keywords: Schistosomiasis, Diagnosis and current trends