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Background  Diagnosis of urogenital schistosomiasis by microscopy and serological tests may be elusive in travelers due to low egg load and the absence of seroconversion upon arrival. There is need for a more sensitive diagnostic test. Therefore, we developed a real-time PCR targeting the  Schistosoma haematobium -specific  Dra1  sequence.    Methodology/Principal Findings  The PCR was evaluated on urine (n = 111), stool (n = 84) and serum samples (n = 135), and one biopsy from travelers and migrants with confirmed or suspected schistosomiasis. PCR revealed a positive result in 7/7 urine samples, 11/11 stool samples and 1/1 biopsy containing  S. haematobium  eggs as demonstrated by microscopy and in 22/23 serum samples from patients with a parasitological confirmed  S. haematobium  infection.  S. haematobium  DNA was additionally detected by PCR in 7 urine, 3 stool and 5 serum samples of patients suspected of having schistosomiasis without egg excretion in urine and feces. None of these suspected patients demonstrated other parasitic infections except one with  Blastocystis hominis  and  Entamoeba  cyst in a fecal sample. The PCR was negative in all stool samples containing  S. mansoni  eggs (n = 21) and in all serum samples of patients with a microscopically confirmed  S. mansoni  (n = 22),  Ascaris lumbricoides  (n = 1),  Ancylostomidae  (n = 1),  Strongyloides stercoralis  (n = 1) or  Trichuris trichuria  infection (n = 1). The PCR demonstrated a high specificity, reproducibility and analytical sensitivity (0.5 eggs per gram of feces).    Conclusion/Significance  The real-time PCR targeting the  Dra1  sequence for  S. haematobium -specific detection in urine, feces, and particularly serum, is a promising tool to confirm the diagnosis, also during the acute phase of urogenital schistosomiasis.

A Schistosoma haematobium-Specific Real-Time PCR for Diagnosis of Urogenital Schistosomiasis in Serum Samples of International Travelers and Migrants