Peculiarities of Mekong schistosomiasis with particular attention to the People's Democratic Republic of Laos.

The authors examined 10 children with clinical symptoms suggestive of intestinal or hepatolienal schistosomiasis. All the children were from the endemic focus in Laos. We found eggs of schistosomes that were smaller and rounder (60.95 X 51.55 microns) than those from a southern Chinese strain of S. japonicum (62.64 X 73.49 microns). There were no Oncomelania species found among the snails in this endemic area. These observations confirm those reports in the literature that assert a new species for S. mekongi based upon epidemiological, biological and morphological characteristics.