An accident waiting to happen? Exposing the potential of urogenital schistosomiasis transmission in the Lake Albert region, Uganda.

Autor: Tumusiime J; Department of Biology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda. jtumusiime90@must.ac.ug.; Institute of Animal Ecology and Systematics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany. jtumusiime90@must.ac.ug., Kagoro-Rugunda G; Department of Biology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda., Tolo CU; Department of Biology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda., Namirembe D; Department of Biology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda., Schols R; Department of Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium.; Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, KU Leuven, Campus Kortrijk, Kortrijk, Belgium., Hammoud C; Department of Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium.; Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium., Albrecht C; Department of Biology, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda.; Institute of Animal Ecology and Systematics, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany., Huyse T; Department of Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Parasites & vectors [Parasit Vectors] 2023 Nov 03; Vol. 16 (1), pp. 398. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Nov 03.
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-06017-3
Abstrakt: Background: Urogenital schistosomiasis caused by the parasitic blood fluke Schistosoma haematobium is the most common form of that constitutes a majority of over 240 million schistosomiasis cases. The enigmatic absence of urogenital schistosomiasis in Uganda has, until now, been attributed to the absence of substantial populations of suitable snail intermediate hosts.
Methods: Malacological surveys were carried out in 73 sites southeast of Lake Albert, Uganda in October and November 2020. Collected snails were transported to the laboratory for identification. The snails were identified using partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit one and nuclear internal transcribed spacer barcoding. Schistosome infections in snails were also assessed using cercarial shedding and rapid diagnostic PCR techniques.
Results: We found Bulinus globosus and Bulinus nasutus productus, the main intermediate species in the transmission of S. haematobium in mainland East Africa. In this survey, B. globosus was more common than B. nasutus productus, with the former reported at four sites (total count = 188) and the latter reported at one site (total count = 79). Molecular testing revealed a high prevalence of Schistosoma bovis in B. nasutus productus (16%), but no S. haematobium infections were found.
Conclusions: Given the abundance of snail hosts and the risky human water contact behaviours observed, we highlight the potential for urogenital schistosomiasis transmission in the region.
(© 2023. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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