Abstract
The objective of this pilot malacological survey was to identify the snail intermediate hosts for Schistosoma haematobium in endemic rural and semi-urban areas of Gabon. Snails were collected, morphologically identified, and tested for infection by cercarial shedding. Released cercariae were morphologically identified using low-power light microscopy. A total of six species of snails were collected throughout the study area, with Bulinus truncatus, B. forskalii, and Potadoma spp. being the most predominant species collected. Only the Bulinus species were tested for infection by cercarial shedding, of which only B. truncatus shed cercariae. Some B. truncatus shed mammalian schistosome cercariae, while others shed Gymnocephalus cercariae. Our results indicate that B. truncatus appears to be a potential intermediate host of schistosomiasis in Gabon, where cases of S. haematobium, S. guineensis, and S. intercalatum infection are reported. However, it will be important to further understand the species diversity and transmission dynamics of schistosomes.
Highlights
Schistosomiasis, a water-borne helminthic disease, is the second most important parasitic infection after malaria in terms of public health and economic impact [1]
There are other species that cause intestinal schistosomiasis, their distribution is restricted to specific foci, including S. guineensis and its variant S. intercalatum in Central Africa, and S. mekongi in South East Asia [2]
The study was conducted in November, corresponding with the beginning of the have been reported in the region [9], and cases of S. guineensis have been reported in the country, the role of B. truncatus in the transmission of S. intercalatum and S. guineensis [13] in the country has to be further investigated
Summary
Schistosomiasis, a water-borne helminthic disease, is the second most important parasitic infection after malaria in terms of public health and economic impact [1]. Human infections are caused by three main species of flukes, namely, Schistosoma haematobium causing urogenital schistosomiasis, and S. japonicum and S. mansoni, which both cause intestinal schistosomiasis. There are other species that cause intestinal schistosomiasis, their distribution is restricted to specific foci, including S. guineensis and its variant S. intercalatum in Central Africa, and S. mekongi in South East Asia [2]. The worldwide geographical distribution of the different Schistosoma species depends on the presence and distribution of their freshwater snail intermediate hosts; the snail genus is specific to the species of the parasite, with some variations across countries. In Africa, for instance, predominantly snails of the genus Biomphalaria serve as intermediate hosts of S. mansoni, while snails of the genus Bulinus serve as intermediate hosts of S. haematobium, as well as of. The geographical distribution and density of the snail population and their dynamics over time relate to the epidemiological situation of the disease in a particular human population, rendering schistosomiasis a focal disease
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