[A case bilharziasis in a Japanese male].

Bilharziasis is an endemic disease distributed mostly in African countries and the Middle East, and causes severe disturbances of urinary tract secondarily. Although it used to be a very rare disease in Japan, modern human mobility and jet travel have brought this tropical disease into our country far from endemic areas. A 25-year-old Japanese male presented to our hospital with macroscopic hematuria. He had an experience of traveling to Malawi two years before. Cystourethroscopy demonstrated so-called 'bilharzial tubercles', many yellowish specks of mucosa at the posterior wall and dome of the bladder. The diagnosis of bilharziasis was made by detection of Schistosoma haematobium eggs in urine and histological specimen obtained by transurethral biopsy. In this case, radiographic and pathological examinations revealed neither obstructive uropathy nor urothelial malignancy. He was treated with praziquantel, and the disease is under good control.