Which parasite is identified by eggs with a terminal spine in urine?

• A. Schistosoma mansoni
• B. Giardia lamblia
• C. Schistosoma haematobium
• D. Diphyllobothrium latum

Answer: (C)

Eggs with a terminal spine found in urine point to Schistosoma haematobium. This species causes urinary schistosomiasis, and its eggs are classically excreted in urine with a distinctive spike at the end, giving a terminal spine appearance. This feature helps distinguish it from Schistosoma mansoni, whose eggs have a lateral (side) spine and are typically detected in stool. The other listed parasites don’t produce eggs with a terminal spine seen in urine: Giardia lamblia is a protozoan that forms cysts and trophozoites, not eggs in urine, and Diphyllobothrium latum has large, oval, operculated eggs shed in stool, not with a terminal spine.