Distribution of the schistosome intermediate snail host Biomphalaria pfeifferi in East Africa's river systems and the prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni infection.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There is a need for current and more detailed information on the distribution of Biomphalaria pfeifferi snails in East Africa's river systems. B. pfeifferi is arguably the most important snail intermediate host in the transmission of schistosomiasis, a disease ranked second to malaria in terms of tropical diseases of public health importance.

Methods

We assessed the occurrence and geographical distribution of B. pfeifferi snails in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Maximum entropy modelling was used to predict the potential distribution of B. pfeifferi snails and malacological surveys were conducted guided by MaxEnt predictions and information from previous studies. Malacological surveys were conducted at a total of 172 sites, including streams, rivers, dams, irrigation

SUBMITTER: Magero VO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11887620 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature