Susceptibility of a louisiana species of Tropicorbis to infection with Schistosoma mansoni

Abstract

Thirteen of 131 Tropicorbis havanensis from a laboratory colony started from two snails collected at Baton Rouge, Louisiana shed cercariae 22 to 32 days following mass-exposure to a Puerto Rican strain of Schistosoma mansoni. This and the Tropicorbis havanensis found in New Orleans, Louisiana were both refractory to a strain of S. mansoni found in a baboon. The latter colony of T. havanensis was also refractory to the Puerto Rican strain. Control snails, Australorbis glabratus, invariably became infected when exposed to five or more miracidia of either the Puerto Rican or baboon strain of S. mansoni.