Freshwater snail-borne parasitic diseases in Africa.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Freshwater snails are the first obligatory intermediate hosts in the trematode life cycle. Several parasitic diseases transmitted by these snails are endemic in Africa, and their distribution closely follows that of the intermediate hosts. These diseases represent a major public health problem and cause significant socio-economic losses in Africa, particularly schistosomiasis and fascioliasis. In this review, we will describe the main roles of freshwater snails in the life cycle of trematode parasites, and the geographical distribution of these diseases in Africa. We will also discuss the different techniques for detecting parasitic infections in snails, as well as the various methods of controlling snails and the larval stages of parasites.

Methods

We carried out

SUBMITTER: Gaye PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11414283 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature