This document summarizes several medically important trematodes (parasitic flatworms):
- Schistosoma species cause schistosomiasis and have complex lifecycles involving freshwater snails and human hosts. Symptoms vary depending on infected organ but include blood in urine/stool.
- Fasciola hepatica is the sheep liver fluke which infects humans through contaminated watercress, causing liver/bile duct damage.
- Fasciolopsis buski infects the intestine through contaminated aquatic plants, attaching to the intestinal mucosa as adults. Most infections are asymptomatic but ulceration can occur.
- Diagnosis of trematode infections is usually by