Echinostoma

"Echinostoma" is an important genus that includes many parasites.

Human echinostomiasis is an intestinal parasitic disease caused by one of at least sixteen trematode flukes from the genus Echinostoma. Found largely in southeast Asia and the Far East, echinostomiasis is transmitted through the ingestion of one of several possible intermediate hosts, which could include snails or other mollusks, certain freshwater fish, crustaceans or amphibians. These flukes are of moderate size and are distinguished by an oral sucker surrounded by a characteristic collar of spines.

Upon infection of the human host, the worms aggregate in the small intestine where they may cause no symptoms, mild symptoms, or severe symptoms in rare cases, depending on the number of worms present. Effective drugs for treatment do exist, but the disease still remains a problem in endemic areas.

Prevention and control is possible through measures such as health education; altered eating habits to exclude ingestion of raw fish, mollusks and other sources of the disease; and removing of wastewater and industrial discharge that may be home to the parasite.

Species listed under the "echinostoma" name include:

* Echinostoma caproni
* Echinostoma echinatum
* Echinostoma friedi
* Echinostoma ilocanum
* Echinostoma jurini
* Echinostoma luisyrei
* Echinostoma miyagawai
* Echinostoma paraensei
* Echinostoma parvocirris
* Echinostoma revolutum
* Echinostoma trivolvis