Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T18:55:01.969Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Trematode infections in freshwater snails and cattle from the Kafue wetlands of Zambia during a period of highest cattle–water contact

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2007

A.M. Phiri ,
I. K. Phiri ,
A. Chota  and
J. Monrad
A.M. Phiri*
Affiliation:
Clinical Studies Department, The University of Zambia, PO Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia
I. K. Phiri
Affiliation:
Clinical Studies Department, The University of Zambia, PO Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia
A. Chota
Affiliation:
Paraclinical Studies Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Zambia, PO Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia:
J. Monrad
Affiliation:
Danish Centre for Experimental Parasitology, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Dyrlaegevej 100, DK-1870, Fredericksberg C, Denmark
*
*Fax: +260 1 291190/293727 E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A total of 984 snails, comprising nine species, were collected from six areas in the Kafue wetlands between August and October 2003 to assess larval trematode infections. Of these, 135 (13.7%) were positive. Most trematode infections were recorded from Lymnaea natalensis (42.8%), which harboured four of the five morphologically different cercariae found. No trematodes were recovered from Bellamya capillata, Biomphalaria pfeifferi, Melanoides tuberculata, Physa acuta and Cleopatra nswendweensis. One snail (0.2%) of 416 Bulinus snails shed brevifurcate-apharyngeate distome cercariae while three (0.7%) shed amphistomes. Gymnocephalous and longifurcate-pharyngeate distome were the commonest types of cercariae recorded while xiphidiocercaria was the least common. The highest prevalence rates of F. gigantica (68.8%) and amphistomes (50.0%) in cattle (n = 101) were in Chiyasa while those in Kaleya had the lowest (9.1 and 18.2%, respectively). In most habitats, infections were recorded in both cattle and snails. Critical determinants of infection may have been the distance of settlements and/or cattle kraals, the number of animals in nearby homesteads and the presence of susceptible host snails. This study suggests that fascioliasis and amphistomiasis could be major constraints of cattle production in the Kafue wetlands because favourable factors were available to introduce and maintain the infections. It further provides a starting point for some comprehensive studies on snail-related aspects of transmission and snail host ecology in Zambia.

Type
Research Papers
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 81 , Issue 1 , March 2007 , pp. 85 - 92
Copyright
Copyright © 2007 Cambridge University Press 2007

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

Amato, S.B., De Rezende, H.E.B., Gomes, D.C. & Da Serra Freire, N.M. (1986) Epidemiology of Fasciola hepatica infection in the Paraiba River Valley, Sao Paolo, Brazil. Veterinary Parasitology 22, 275–284.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, R.M. & May, R.M. (1979) Prevalence of schistosome infections within molluscan populations: observed and theoretical predictions. Parasitology 79, 63–94.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, N., Luong, T.T., Vo, N.G., Bui, K.L., Smooker, P.M. & Spithill, T.W. (1999) The sensitivity and specificity of two methods for detecting Fasciola infections in cattle. Veterinary Parasitology 83, 15–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Begon, M.L., Haeper, L. & Townsend, C.R. (1990) Ecology. 2nd edn. pp. 28–32. Oxford, Blackwell Publishers.Google Scholar
Brown, D.S. & Kristensen, T.K. (1989) A field guide to African freshwater snails, Southern African species. Danish Bilharziasis Laboratory Publication number 383. pp. 22, 26, 32, 38–41.Google Scholar
Brown, K.M., Leathers, B.K. & Minchella, D.J. (1988) Trematode prevalence and the population dynamics of freshwater pond snails. American Midland Naturalist 120, 289–301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chao, D., Wang, L. & Huang, T. (1993) Prevalence of larval helminths in freshwater snails of the Kinmen Islands. Journal of Helminthology 67, 259–264.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chingwena, G., Mukaratirwa, S., Kristensen, T.K. & Chimbari, M. (2002) Larval trematode infections in freshwater snails from the highveld and lowveld areas of Zimbabwe. Journal of Helminthology 76, 283–293.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coulibaly, G. & Madsen, H. (1990) Seasonal density fluctuations of intermediate hosts of schistosomes in two streams in Bamako, Mali. Journal of African Zoology 104, 201–212.Google Scholar
Da Costa, C., Dreyfuss, G., Rakotondravao, & Rondelaud, D. (1994) Several observations concerning cercarial sheddings of Fasciola gigantica from Lymnaea natalensis. Parasite 1, 39–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davis, N.E. (1998) Population dynamics of and larval tremaotode interactions with Lymnaea tomentosa and the potential for biological control of schistosome dermatitis in Bremner Bay, Lake Wanaka, New Zealand. Journal of Helminthology 72, 319–324.Google ScholarPubMed
Dinnik, J.A. (1961) Paramphistomum phillerouxi sp. nov. and its development in Bulinus forskalii. Journal of Helminthology 35, 69–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dinnik, J.A. (1965) The snail hosts of certain Paramphistomatidae and Gastrothylacidae (Trematoda) discovered by the late Dr P.L. Le Roux in Africa. Journal of Helminthology 39, 141–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dinnik, J.A. & Dinnik, N.N. (1963) Effect of the seasonal variations of temperature on the development of Fasciola gigantica in the snail host in the Kenya highlands. Bulletin of Epizootic Diseases in Africa 11, 197–207.Google ScholarPubMed
Ewers, W.H. (1964) The influence of the density of snails on the incidence of larval trematodes. Parasitology 77, 528–539.Google Scholar
Frandsen, F. & Christensen, N. (1984) An introductory guide to the identification of cercariae from African freshwater snails with special reference to cercariae of medical and veterinary importance. Acta Tropica 41, 181–202.Google Scholar
Hamburger, J., Hoffman, O., Kariuki, H.C., Muchiri, E.M., Ouma, J.H., Koech, D.K., Sturrock, R.F. & King, C.H. (2004) Large-scale, polymerase chain reaction-based surveillance of Schistosoma haematobium DNA in snails from transmission sites in coastal Kenya: a new tool for studying the dynamics of snail infection. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 71, 765–773.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hammond, J.A. (1970) Studies on fascioliasis with special reference to F. gigantica in East Africa. PhD thesis, University of Edinburgh, UK.Google Scholar
Howard, G.W. (1985) The Kafue Flats of Zambia – a wetland ecosystem comparable with floodplain areas of northern Australia. Proceedings of the Ecological Society of Australia 13, 296–306.Google Scholar
Jeffery, R.C.V. (1992) The Kafue Flats of Zambia: a case study. pp. 57–70 in Matiza, T. & Chabwela, H.N. (Eds) Wetlands Conservation Conference for Southern Africa. Proceedings of the Southern African Development Coordination Conference, Gaborone, Botswana. 3–5 June 1991, Gland, Switzerland, IUCN.Google Scholar
Jordan, P. & Webbe, G. (1993) Epidemiology. pp. 87–158 in Jordan, P., Webbe, G. & Sturrock, R.F.Human schistosomiasis. Wallingford, Oxon, CAB International.Google Scholar
Kendall, S.B. (1964) Some factors influencing the development of trematodes in their molluscan hosts. pp. 51–73 in Taylor, A.E.R. (Ed.) Host–parasite relationships in invertebrate hosts. Oxford, Blackwell Scientific Publications.Google Scholar
Kigadye, E.S.P. (1998) Studies on larval digeneans infecting freshwater snails. MSc thesis, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. p. 161.Google Scholar
Lafferty, K.D., Sammond, D.T. & Kuris, A.M. (1994) Analysis of larval trematode communities. Ecology 75, 2275–2285.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Loker, E.S., Moyo, H.G. & Gardner, S.L. (1981) Trematode–gastropod associations in nine non-lacustine habitats in Mwanza region of Tanzania. Parasitology 83, 381–399.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Madsen, H. (2003) Schistosomiasis japonicum transmission and ecology in the Philippines (STEP) project. Travel report for the visit to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Philippines..Google Scholar
Mattison, R.G., Dunn, T.S., Hanna, R.E.B., Nizami, W.A. & Ali, Q.M. (1995) Population dynamics of freshwater gastropods and epidemiology of their helminth infections with emphasis on larval paramphistomes in northern India. Journal of Helminthology 69, 125–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
May, R.M. (1983) Parasitic infections as regulators of animal populations. American Scientist 71, 36–45.Google ScholarPubMed
Mostafa, O.M., Taha, H.A. & Ramadan, G. (2003) Diagnosis of Fasciola gigantica in snails using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Journal of the Egyptian Society for Parasitology 33, 733–742.Google ScholarPubMed
Mubila, L. & Rollinson, D. (2002) Snail–parasite compatibility and prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium on the shores of Lake Kariba, Zambia. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology 96, 165–173.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Over, H.J. (1982) The ecological basis of parasite control: trematodes with special reference to fascioliasis. Veterinary Parasitology 11, 85–97.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roberts, J.A. & Suhardono, (1996) Approaches to the control of fasciolosis in ruminants. International Journal for Parasitology 26, 971–981.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schillhorn van Veen, T.W. (1979) Ovine fascioliasis (Fasciola gigantica) on the Ahmadu Bello University farm. Tropical Animal Health and Production 11, 151–156.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schillhorn van Veen, T.W. (1980a) Dynamics of Lymnaea natalensis in the Zaria area (Nigeria) and the relation to Fasciola gigantica infections. Acta Tropica 37, 183–194.Google ScholarPubMed
Schillhorn van Veen, T.W. (1980b) Fascioliasis (Fasciola gigantica) in West Africa: a review. Veterinary Bulletin 50, 529–532.Google Scholar
Sousa, W.P. (1992) Interspecific interaction of larval trematode parasites of freshwater marine snails. American Zoologist 32, 583–592.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sousa, W.P. (1993) Interspecific antagonism and species coexistence in a diverse guild of larval trematode parasites. Ecological Monographs 63, 103–128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Southgate, V.R., Howard, G.W., Rollinson, D., Brown, D.S., Ross, G.C. & Knowles, R.J. (1985) Bulinus tropicus, a natural intermediate host for Schistosoma margrebowiei in Lochinvar National Park, Zambia. Journal of Helminthology 59, 153–155.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taira, N., Suzuki, K. & Boray, J.C. (1983) Detection and quantitation of Fasciola eggs in cattle using the Beads technique. Japanese Journal of Veterinary Parasitology 32, 279–286.Google Scholar
Urquhart, G.M. (1954) The rabbit as a host in experimental fasioliasis. Experimental Parasitology 3, 38–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Velusamy, R., Singh, B.P. & Raina, O.K. (2004) Detection of Fasciola gigantica infection in snails by polymerase chain reaction. Veterinary Parasitology 120, 85–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, J.A. & Esch, G.W. (1991) Infra- and component community dynamics in the pulmonate snail Helisoma anceps, with special emphasis on the hemiurial trematode Halipegus occidualis. Journal of Parasitology 77, 246–253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wright, C.A. (1966) The pathogenesis of helminths in molluscs. Helminthological Abstracts 35, 207–244.Google Scholar
Wright, C.A., Southgate, V.R. & Howard, G.W. (1979) A note on the life cycle of some amphistome flukes in Zambia. Journal of Helminthology 53, 251–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yachiyo Engineering Co. Ltd. (1995) The study on The National Water Master Plan in the Republic of Zambia. JICA/Ministry of Energy and Water Development. Lusaka.Google Scholar