Definition of "schistosomiasis" []

• Any of various generally tropical diseases caused by infestation with schistosomes, widespread in rural areas of Africa, Asia, and Latin America through use of contaminated water, and characterized by infection and gradual destruction of the tissues of the kidneys, liver, and other organs. Also called bilharziasis, snail fever. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Over 200 million people right now have a water-related disease called schistosomiasis ..."
• "Bilharzia, also known as schistosomiasis, is transmitted by the larvae of water snails, penetrating the skin and colonizing the blood vessels of the intestine."
• "The exception in this list is schistosomiasis, which is not actively transported by a vector from one human being to the other."