Climate and urbanization drive changes in the habitat suitability of Schistosoma mansoni competent snails in Brazil.

ABSTRACT: Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by Schistosoma parasites. Schistosoma are obligate parasites of freshwater Biomphalaria and Bulinus snails, thus controlling snail populations is critical to reducing transmission risk. As snails are sensitive to environmental conditions, we expect their distribution is significantly impacted by global change. Here, we used machine learning, remote sensing, and 30 years of snail occurrence records to map the historical and current distribution of forward-transmitting Biomphalaria hosts throughout Brazil. We identified key features influencing the distribution of suitable habitat and determined how Biomphalaria habitat has changed with climate and urbanization over the last three decades. Our models show that climate change has driven b

SUBMITTER: Glidden CK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11186836 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature