Invasion of skin by schistosome cercariae: some neglected facts.

The process of skin invasion by Schistosoma cercariae was reviewed in a recent Trends Research Update, accompanied by a computer animation. Some aspects of that article were misleading and perpetuated misconceptions about parasite migration through the skin that should by now have been dispelled. This article sets out a different interpretation of events, taking account of the extensive data on migration and larval structural changes that have been documented for Schistosoma mansoni over the past 20 years.