Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T02:44:15.370Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The influence of physical factors on the behaviour and infectivity of miracidia of Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium. III. Effect of contact time and dispersion in static and flowing waters*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2009

C. James  and
S. K. Prah
C. James
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Helminthology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Winches Farm Field Station, St. Albans, Herts
S. K. Prah
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Helminthology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Winches Farm Field Station, St. Albans, Herts
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The scanning and infective capacity of Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium miracidia were tested under limited exposure times in small volumes of water, and under increasing mutual dispersion in vessels of different sizes also over increasing horizontal distances, and under different flow rates of water. It was found that the miracidia of both species retained their infective capacity for up to 1 hour in the presence of susceptible snails. The infection rates decreased with decreasing miracidial densities but was still over 50% at 0.4–0.8 miracidia per litre. Both species of miracidia produced high (36–44%) infection rates in host snails situated at a distance of 5 m and equally high infection rates (39–40%) in snails placed in water flowing at a rate of 12–15 cm/sec.

The application of any of these physical factors in the control of schistosomiasis is discussed.

Type
Research Papers
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 52 , Issue 3 , September 1978 , pp. 221 - 226
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1978

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Chernin, E. (1968) Interference with the capacity of S. mansoni miracidia to infect the molluscan host. Journal of Parasitology, 34, 509–516.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chernin, E. and Antolics, V. M. (1975) Penetrative capacity of Schistosoma mansoni miracidia. Journal of Parasitology, 61, 560–561.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chernin, E. and Dunavan, C. A. (1962) The influence of host-parasite dispersion upon the capacity of S. mansoni miracidia to infect Australorbis glabratus. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 11, 455–471.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davenport, D., Wright, C. A. and Causley, D. (1962) Technique for the study of the behaviour of motile micro-organisms. Science, 135, (3508), 1059–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kinoti, G. K. (1970) Observations on the infection of bulinid snails with Schistosoma mattheei. II. Mechanism of resistance to infection. Parasitology, 62, 161–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McClelland, W. F. J. (1965) The individual and mass exposure of Bulinus nasutus to S. haematobium and B. sudanica to S. mansoni, and the effect of concentration of miracidia on infection rates. Proc. Cent. Afr. sc. med. Congr., Lusaka. (1963). pp. 819–827. Pergamon: London.Google Scholar
Prah, S. K. and James, C. (1977) The influence of physical factors on the survival and infectivity of miracidia of Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium. I. Effect of temperature and ultra-violet light. Journal of Helminthology, 51, 73–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Prah, S. K. and James, C. (1978) The influence of physical factors on the behaviour and infectivity of miracidia of Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium. II. Effect of light and depth. Journal of Helminthology, 52, 115–120.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schreiber, F. and Schubert, M. (1949) Results of exposure of the snail Australorbis glabratus to varying numbers of miracidia of S. mansoni. Journal of Parasitology, 35, 590.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shiff, C. J. (1968) Location of Bulinus (Physopsis) globosus by miracidia of S. haematobium. Journal of Parasitology, 54, 1133–1140.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Upatham, E. S. (1972) Interference by unsusceptible aquatic animals with the capacity of the miracidia of Schistosoma mansoni Sambon to infect Biomphalaria glabrata (Say) under field-simulated conditions in St. Lucia, West Indies. Journal of Helminthology, 46, 277–283.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Upatham, E. S. (1973) Location of Biomphalaria glabrata (Say) by miracidia of Schistosoma mansoni Sambon in natural standing and running waters on the West Indian island of St. Lucia. International Journal for Parasitology, 3, 289–297.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wajdi, N. (1972) Behaviour of the miracidia of an Iraqi strain of S. haematobium. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 46, 115–117.Google Scholar
Webbe, G. (1965) Transmission of bilharziasis. 2. Production of cercariae. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 33, 155–162.Google ScholarPubMed
Webbe, G. (1966) The effect of water velocities on the infection of Biomphalaria sudanica tanganyicensis exposed to different numbers of S. mansoni miracidia. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, 60, 85–89.CrossRefGoogle Scholar