[Variability of Schistosoma mansoni strains in cercariae production]

A preliminary study showed that B. glabrata infected with strains of S. mansoni isolated from patients with the hepatosplenic form of the disease produced a higher number of cercariae and died sooner than those infected with strains from the intestinal and hepatointestinal forms. However, further studies showed a great variation of the number of cercariae produced by some of those strains in the same system, without relation with the clinical form of the disease.