Schistosoma indicum

"Schistosoma indicum" was discovered by the British scientist Dr R. E. Montgomery, in 1906, from a horse from Mukteswar, Uttar Pradesh, India. This blood-fluke causes hepato-intestinal schistosomiasis in many domestic animals (sheep, goat, water buffalo, cattle, camel, horse, donkey, dog, but not pigs). It was responsible for an outbreak of pulmonary schistosomiasis, in 1981, in sheep in Rajasthan, leading considerable mortality. A variant of "S. indicum", rather than "S. haematobium", was suggested to be responsible for human schistosomiasis in Gimvi village, Ratnagiri district, India. Terminal-spined "S. indicum"-like eggs have been detected in human stools, too. Dr M. C. Agrawal demonstrated cross-immunity against "S. incognitum" by immunising the host against "S. Inducum". The parasite is wide-spread in India and other Asian countries. "Indoplanorbis exustus", a fresh water snail, is the intermediate host. Dr H. D. Srivastava and Dr S. C. Dutt have studied its morphology, life-cycle, intermediate and definitive host specificity. Their work is published their as ICAR Research Series No. 34 ("Studies on "Schistosoma indicum"), Indian Council of Agriculture Research, New Delhi, in 1962.