The occurrence of schistosomin, an antagonist of female gonadotropic hormones, is a general phenomenon in haemolymph of schistosome-infected freshwater snails

Abstract

In haemolymph of Lymnaea stagnalis, parasitized with the digenetic trematode parasite Trichobilharzia ocellata, a neuropeptide (schistosomin) occurs which antagonizes female gonadotropic hormones, e.g. calfluxin (CaFl). By means of an ultracytochemical hormone-assay, the CaFl assay, it was demonstrated that the occurrence of schistosomin is a general phenomenon in schistosome-infected freshwater snails. Haemolymph of the schistosomiasis-transmitting snail species Biomphalaria glabrata and B. pfeifferi, parasitized with Schistosoma mansoni, also appeared to contain an antagonizing factor, i.e. schistosomin. In contrast, in haemolymph of L. stagnalis parasitized with Diplostomum spathaceum (Diplostomatidae) no schistosomin could be found. This suggests that schistosomin may only occur in snails infected with parasites belonging to the Schistosomatidae. The effect of schistosomin is rather specific. Haemolymph of B. glabrata parasitized with S. mansoni had not the capacity to inhibit the response to CaFl in the target organs for CaFl, the albumen glands of L. stagnalis and Bulinus truncatus. The same holds true for haemolymph of infected L. stagnalis: it did not inhibit the CaFl response in glands of B. glabrata and B. truncatus and even not in those of a related species (L. ovata). Schistosomins in haemolymph of infected B. glabrata and B. pfeifferi, on the other hand, seem more related. Both appeared to inhibit the hormone response in glands of the two Biomphalaria species studied. The results indicate that schistosomin in haemolymph of schistosome-infected pulmonate snails, although functionally related, may differ structurally.