Schistosomiasis, a neglected tropical disease, affects millions worldwide.
Treatment and control strategies rely entirely on the single drug praziquantel (PZQ),
making the prospect of resistance emergence worrisome. The pressing need to
introduce new antischistosomal agents necessitates exploring and repurposing
chemotherapeutic history besides designing novel leads. In this context, this chapter
summarizes the parasite life cycle, its clinical manifestations, and the progress in
schistosomiasis chemotherapy with an overview of the validated drug targets, the
emergence of drug resistance, and vaccination trials.
Keywords: Current schistosomiasis treatment, Neglected tropical diseases, Repurposed antischistosomal agents, Resistance, Schistosomiasis, Specific schistosomal targets, Vaccination.
