The abundance of snail hosts mediates the effects of antagonist interactions between trematodes on the transmission of human schistosomes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Combating infectious diseases and halting biodiversity loss are intertwined challenges crucial to ensure global health. Biodiversity can constrain the spread of vector-borne pathogens circulation, necessitating a deeper understanding of ecological mechanisms underlying this pattern. Our study evaluates the relative importance of biodiversity and the abundance of Bulinus truncatus, a major intermediate host for the trematode Schistosoma haematobium on the circulation of this human pathogen at aquatic transmission sites.

Methods

We combined mathematical modelling and a molecular based empirical study to specifically assess the effect of co-infections between S. haematobium and other trematodes within their B. truncatus snail hosts; and B. truncatus abundance at tran

SUBMITTER: Douchet P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11386086 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature