A fluke is a flat, leaf-shaped parasitic worm belonging to the group known as trematodes.
Flukes can infect humans and other animals and may live in locations such as the liver, intestines, lungs, or blood vessels, depending on the species. Many have complex life cycles involving one or more intermediate hosts, frequently including freshwater snails.
Examples of human fluke infections include schistosomiasis and certain liver and lung fluke infections.
QUICK FACT
Schistosomes are flukes, although unlike many other flukes, adult schistosomes live in blood vessels and have separate male and female worms.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
Tapeworm: Both are flat parasitic worms, but flukes are generally unsegmented and belong to the trematodes, while tapeworms are segmented cestodes.
SEE ALSO