Spatiotemporal and seasonal transmission dynamics of Schistosoma haematobium and snail infectivity in Ase River catchment, Delta State, Nigeria

AbstractBulinus are intermediate snail hosts ofSchistosoma haematobium. Despite their vectorial role, the transmission dynamics and infectivity of these intermediate snail hosts remain understudied in the Ase River. This longitudinal study evaluated the geospatial and seasonal transmission patterns and infectivity of threeS. haematobium vectors between November 2020 and October 2022 in the Ase River catchment, Delta State, Nigeria. Eleven (11) geospatial water contact coordinates were mapped for monthly spatiotemporal collection ofBulinus species along the Ase River and its catchment, for two years. Snail sampling was performed for 45  min at each study site using scooping/hand-picking techniques and subsequently counted, identified and recorded. Snails of theBulinus genus were individually placed in a beaker containing distilled water and exposed to light to shed cercariae which were identified to be human schistosome type. The number of infected snails for each month and season was also documented to analyze the spatiotemporal and seasonal transmission dynamics of infectivity. Out of the 2345Bulinus snails collected, a total of 41.45% were found to be infected withS. haematobium. The monthly infectivity ofBulinus snails varied significantly (P <  0.05) throughout the study period (P =  <  0.0001; F = 23.11; df = 11). Further analysis showed a strong significant association (χ2 = 23.57; df = 11;p = 0.015) between the study years. The P...
Source: Journal of Parasitic Diseases - Category: Parasitology Source Type: research