Ari's Planet

Parasites are wonderful amazing little creatures. Their life cycles, involving multiple hosts and periods in free water, are marvels of natural adaptation. Schistosomiasis, otherwise known as Bilharzia, is a common parasitic infection in tropical regions of the world. There are several varieties, such as Schistosoma mekongi, found in the Mekong river. Indeed, this is probably where I contracted the disease while swimming and bathing in water from the Mekong river. Feeling not entirely well, I stopped by the Travel Doctor clinic in Auckland. The doctor there tested me for antibodies to schistosoma, which came back positive. The test is only useful several weeks after exposure. Treatment is straightforward: two doses in a single day of Praziquantel (brand name Biltricide). Other than a headache and going to sleep a bit earlier I had no ill effects. There are cautions about taking the drug if you have pork tapeworm, since as the worms die they can cause adverse effects, but this is not an issue for schistosoma treatment. Repeat testing for antibodies several weeks after treatment should indicate if treatment was successful. This parasite is not too terrible at first, but long-term infection can cause damage to internal organs such as the liver. All in all, a good idea to get tested for infection after travel to risk areas. In NZ, the drug has to be specially imported and purchased directly as it is not on an approved list in NZ (though it is approved in other countries). It cost NZ$90 for 5 x 600 mg pills.