Q. What is the life cycle of the schistosome?
Female and Male adult schistosomes live within blood vessels of the human intestines. The females discharge eggs that trespass the vessel walls and enter the intestinal lumen being eliminated with the human feces. When in water the egg discharge a larva called as the miracidium that then swims to reach the snail that is the intermediate host.
Within a snail miracidia transform into the cercariae, another type of schistosome larva. The cercariae leave a snail and swim until penetrating by the human skin. In humans the cercaria gains the circulation infecting majorly the blood vessels of the intestines, lungs or liver and develops into the adult form of the parasite.