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Epidemiology and Health 2019Freshwater snails, as the first intermediate hosts of trematodes, can cause health hazards in animals and humans. Recently, the World Health Organization has included...
Freshwater snails, as the first intermediate hosts of trematodes, can cause health hazards in animals and humans. Recently, the World Health Organization has included Iran in a list of 6 countries known to have serious problems with fascioliasis. In addition, cercarial dermatitis is a job-related disease that is seen often in paddy workers, agricultural labourers, and fishermen in Iran, particularly in Mazandaran Province. Many studies have been conducted in Iran to survey larval trematodes in freshwater snails. However, to the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive data exist regarding infections in gastropods. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to estimate the types and prevalence of cercarial infections in snails in Iran. Electronic English-language and Persian-language databases were searched to identify 24 published articles reporting the prevalence of trematode infections in snails (9 species from 6 families) in various provinces of Iran. In total, 4.4% of gastropods were infected with the larval stages of trematodes. According to the studies reviewed in this meta-analysis' the highest infection prevalence was found in Radix auricularia (9.9%). Twelve larval species of trematodes were identified, and the highest prevalence of cercariae was found for Echinostomatidae cercariae (4.3%). Among the provinces explored, West Azerbaijan had the highest prevalence of infected snails (16.9%). The presence of trematodes in snails could pose a serious health problem in Iran. Thus, further studies are necessary to characterize these infections in other provinces.
Topics: Animals; Fresh Water; Humans; Iran; Prevalence; Snails; Trematoda; Trematode Infections
PubMed: 30754962
DOI: 10.4178/epih.e2019001 -
Folia Parasitologica May 2024Schistosomiasis is a snail-borne disease that has a considerable impact on human and animal health, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The intermediate hosts of the...
Schistosomiasis is a snail-borne disease that has a considerable impact on human and animal health, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The intermediate hosts of the schistosome parasites are freshwater snails of the genera Biomphalaria Preston, 1910 and Bulinus Müller, 1781. In order to identify existing gaps in the spread of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), this study compiled the available knowledge of the distribution, population dynamics and ecology of the intermediate hosts of schistosomiasis. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase and Scopus for all malacological studies on schistosoma intermediate hosts in DRC published between 1927 and October 2022. A total of 55 records were found, of which 31 met the inclusion criteria: these were published field and experimental studies conducted in the DRC and focused on snails as intermediate hosts of schistosomes. The analysis of these studies revealed that more up-to-date data on the distribution of snail intermediate hosts in the DRC are needed. Moreover, ecological factors have been less studied for Bulinus species than for Biomphalaria species. These factors play a crucial role in determining suitable snail habitats, and the lack of comprehensive information poses a challenge in snail control. This review makes it clear that there are no current malacological data in the DRC. There is a clear need for molecular and ecological research to update the exact species status and population dynamics of all potential intermediate host species. This will facilitate targeted snail control measures that complement drug treatment in the control of schistosomiasis in the country.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Biomphalaria; Bulinus; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Schistosoma; Schistosomiasis; Snails
PubMed: 38841845
DOI: 10.14411/fp.2024.010