Scanning electron micrograph of a pair of Schistosoma mansoni worms.

Scanning electron micrograph of a pair of Schistosoma mansoni.

Creator: Photographer not identified; original uploader: Waisberg (via Wikimedia Commons).

Licence: Public domain

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Species record

Blood Fluke

Schistosoma mansoni

Explore the Blood Fluke (Schistosoma mansoni) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

The blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni is a parasitic flatworm that causes intestinal schistosomiasis. Its life cycle includes freshwater snails; larvae released into water can penetrate human skin, and adult worms live in blood vessels near the intestines.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Flatworms
  3. Class: Flukes
  4. Order: Diplostomida
  5. Family: Schistosomatidae
  6. Genus: Schistosoma
  7. Species: Schistosoma mansoni

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
freshwater streams, freshwater lakes, human and snail hosts
Selected regions
Africa, South America

Conservation status

Conservation status not recorded.

Did you know?

  • A blood fluke needs a freshwater snail as part of its life cycle before it can infect a person.

More images

Micrograph showing four Schistosoma mansoni worms: a pair at left, a female in the center, and a male at right.

CDC / PHIL #5252 micrograph of four Schistosoma mansoni worms: a pair at left, a female in the center, and a male at right.

Creator: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Image Library #5252

Licence: Public domain

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Sources and attribution