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Schistosomiasis is a parasitosis caused by Schistosoma Haematobium. These parasites live inside some fresh water gas teropods especially living in African and Middle East regions. The disease may be both acute and cronic. Due to recent massive mobility of population by air travel this kind of disease is now very often recognisable in non endemic areas. A 26 year old man from Burkina Faso (Africa) but residing in Sicily (Italy) for 10 years presented with recurrent gross haematuria especially terminal. In 2006 he had an urinary ultrasonography showing regular kidneys and urinary tract but also a thickening of the bladder wall. In January 2007 he was hospitalized in our structure and he had urography and parasite exams which showed the presence of eggs of schistosoma. The following cistoscopy showed hyperemic areas and some tubercles. The biopsy and the relevant pathological examination confirmed the presence of eggs of schistosoma haematobium and excluded bladder tumors. The patient was successfully treated by oral administration of Praziquantel, 20 mg/kg twice a day for one day. There have been no sign of recurrence in the following 6 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple agents have been suggested as urinary bladder carcinogens. Of these, certain aromatic amines and some tryptophan metabolites (Anthranilic acid, 3 hydroxy Anthranilic acid) have been proved to be carcinogenic. Others are suggested but are not conclusively proved as carcinogenic agents. Various animal species have been used as experimental models for the study of induction of cancer of the bladder and substantial progress has been made in the search for etiologic factors and pathogenesis of bladder tumors. A carcinogenic model of cancer bladder induction is proposed. However, knowledge of the tumorigenesis of cancer of the bladder is still limited and fragmentary. It appears, however, that Tryptophan dysmetabolism play a major role in this field and future experimental and epidemiologic studies should take this fact into consideration.

The author describes a unusual case of haematuria from Schistosoma Haematobium and dispute the modalities of diagnosis and therapy.