Urinary schistosomiasis in Nebraska

Urinary schistosomiasis, a disease caused by the blood fluke Schistosoma haematobium, is seen in residents of endemic areas of Africa and Southwest Asia. Two cases are described, one in a twelve year old boy and another in a forty-four year old man. This type of infection is often indolent but can have significant long-term sequelae such as urinary obstruction and bladder cancer. The recent increases in U.S. immigration of persons from the areas endemic to schistosomiasis behoove physicians to remember this disease when dealing with patients native to these lands.