Comparison of skin invasion among three major species of Schistosoma.

A comparison of the host-finding behavior, mode of skin invasion and skin-migratory patterns of the three major schistosomes of humans reveals major differences. Among the three species, Schistosoma japonicum is remarkable at conserving energy during the host-finding process, and exhibiting swift migration through the skin to reach the predilection site sooner and mature earlier compared with Schistosoma mansoni and Schistosoma haematobium. In this article, we summarize and compare the penetration and migratory behavior of schistosomula of the three major human schistosomes through mouse and human skin.