Sterlitech Helps Combat Schistosomiasis with All-in-One Testing Kit

Sterlitech is helping researchers around the globe detect the presence of schistosome eggs, the cause of schistosomiasis, in human urine with its complete Schistosome Test kit.  Over 200 million people across the world suffer from Schistosomiasis, and nearly 700 million people live in places where it is endemic.  Sterlitech’s Schistosome Test Kit comes complete with everything needed to carry out fast, accurate tests in the field. “The symptoms of schistosomiasis can last for years and lead significant damage to a person’s liver, intestines or bladder,” notes Mark Spatz, president of Sterlitech Corporation.  “Accurately diagnosing patients with the disease can help track the source of the infection and make prevention and treatment easier.” Schistosomiasis begins when juvenile schistosome worms burrow through the skin of human host as they come into contact with contaminated water.  The immature worms travel through hosts, eventually settling in the veins near the intestines and bladder, where they mature and begin to lay their eggs in the surrounding tissue.  The body’s immune response to the eggs, not to the worms, is responsible for the symptoms of the disease. Once laid, the eggs move through the walls bladder and intestine, eventually being expelled through the host’s urine or feces.  Sterlitech’s Schistosome Test Kit works by filtering out the schistosome eggs from urine samples with a 13 mm polycarbonate filter that has a 12 micron pore size.  Once the sample is run through the filter, the eggs can be examined under a microscope to identify the infection.  The complete testing kit also comes with Swinney filter holders, syringes, forceps and a plastic carrying case. To learn more about Schistosomiasis, you can visit the CDC's website as well as the WHO's website.